tawse

taws

mainly Scot

Save This Word!

noun

a leather strap having one end cut into thongs, formerly used as an instrument of punishment by a schoolteacher

verb

to punish (someone) with or as if with a tawse; whip

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Word Origin for tawse

C16: probably plural of obsolete taw strip of leather; see taw ²

Words nearby tawse

tawny, tawny owl, tawny pipit, tawpie, taws, tawse, tax, taxable, taxaceous, taxation, taxation without representation

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

How to use tawse in a sentence

The serpent had unwound its coils; it lay revealed in all its hideousness—a teacher's tawse!
Bud|Neil Munro
You are an ould pig and I'll not speak, and you'll never put your hands on your tawse again.
The Underworld|James C. Welsh
A tiny voice pipes out in the very highest of high trebles: 'I'se here tawse I tarn't walt.'
Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 692|Various
This is an iron chain with a heavy knob at the end, to which a strap, like a Scotch tawse, is often attached.
The Popular Religion and Folk-Lore of Northern India, Vol. I (of 2)|W. Crooke

The chain is ordinarily three and a half feet long, the tawse two feet, and the total weight is about seven pounds.
The Popular Religion and Folk-Lore of Northern India, Vol. I (of 2)|W. Crooke