Whipstock

[STOCK sb.¹]

  1.  The stick or staff to which the lash of a whip is attached; the handle of a whip.

1530.  Palsgr., 288/1. Whypstocke, manche dung fouet.

1608.  Shaks., Per., II. ii. 51. He appeares To haue practis’d more the Whipstocke, then the Launce.

1655.  [G. Hall], Tri. Rome, vi. 75. The Baalites spared their flesh lesse then her cruellest whip-stocks.

1850.  ‘Sylvanus,’ Bye-lanes & Downs, iv. 52. Beating out the brains of one ruffian with a whip-stock he always carried.

1881.  Besant & Rice, Chapl. Fleet, I. ii. Sitting down and leaning his chin upon his whipstock.

1895.  J. G. Millais, Breath from Veldt, 2. Having fishing material with us … I soon had the two whipstocks rigged up.

  b.  transf. A man who drives horses. contemptuous.

1615.  Tomkis, Albumazar, IV. iv. Out Carter. Hence durtie whipstocke.

  † 2.  A whipping-post (= whipping-stock (a), WHIPPING vbl. sb. 4 a). Obs.

1619.  H. Hutton, Follie’s Anat., B 4 b. The beggers whipstock, or the Gallowes hire.

1638.  Brathwait, Barnabees Jrnl., III. (1818), 113. Suspected for a picklock Th’ beedle led me to the whip-stock.

  † 3.  A person who is frequently whipped (= whipping-stock (b), WHIPPING vbl. sb. 4 a); in quot. = FLAGELLANT sb. Obs.

1640.  Bp. Hall, Chr. Moder., I. iii. 24. Such were the famous whip-stocks in the time of Gregory the tenth.

  † 4.  Naut. = WHIPSTAFF 2, WHIP sb. 13. Obs.

1682.  Wheler, Journ. Greece, III. 286. In this Storm we broke the Whip-stock, and split the Stern.

  5.  attrib.: whipstock wise adv. phr., in the manner of a whipstock: in quot. applied to WHIPGRAFTING.

1608.  Plat, Garden of Eden (1653), 117. Grafting whipstock wise, and letting in the cions into the stock by a slit, is good for young trees.