tar and feather

Idioms  

1. Criticize severely, punish, as in The traditionalists often want to tar and feather those who don't conform. This expression alludes to a former brutal punishment in which a person was smeared with tar and covered with feathers, which then stuck. It was first used as a punishment for theft in the English navy, recorded in the Ordinance of Richard I in 1189, and by the mid-1700s had become mob practice. The figurative usage dates from the mid-1800s.

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Example Sentences

The attorney, E Dirk Wegmann, told the special master that the plaintiffs only want the Saints emails released so they can give them to the media and “unfairly try to tar and feather the archdiocese”.

From The Guardian • Jan. 24, 2020

The attorney, E. Dirk Wegmann, told the special master that the plaintiffs only want the Saints emails released so they can give them to the media and “unfairly try to tar and feather the archdiocese.”

From Seattle Times • Jan. 24, 2020

But in a nation of widely disparate views on all aspects of government and society, you’re also going to have a good many eager to tar and feather you.

From Washington Times • Aug. 16, 2017

We can disparage his character, isolate him, tar and feather him and only talk about how many games he gets,’ ” she said.

From Washington Post • Jul. 24, 2015

"You would tar and feather me?" asked Tom, and now it must be confessed that he shivered in spite of his efforts to remain calm.

From The Rover Boys out West Or, The Search for a Lost Mine by Stratemeyer, Edward