hookswinging

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noun

A ritualistic form of torture in which a volunteer was hung from hooks attached to the flesh on the back.

Scrabble 24
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Meanings

nounhookswinging (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA ritualistic form of torture in which a volunteer was hung from hooks attached to the flesh on the back.

    In late October 1891, the Madras Mail¹ brought dramatic attention to the fact that “the barbarous and cruel custom of hookswinging to propitiate the Goddess of Rain, which has been obsolete for some time, has been revived at Sholavandan near Madura.”

    1997 January 1, Nicholas B. Dirks, “The Policing of Tradition: Colonialism and Anthropology in Southern India”, in Comparative Studies in Society and History, volume 39, number 1, Cambridge University Press, →DOI, archived from the original on 23 Apr 2024, page 182

Origin

From hook + swinging.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

hookswinging. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hookswinging

MLA

“hookswinging.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hookswinging. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hookswinging,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hookswinging.

Source: hookswinging on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.