keelhaul
verb /ˈkiːlhɔːl/
/ˈkiːlhɔːl/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they keelhaul | /ˈkiːlhɔːl/ /ˈkiːlhɔːl/ |
| he / she / it keelhauls | /ˈkiːlhɔːlz/ /ˈkiːlhɔːlz/ |
| past simple keelhauled | /ˈkiːlhɔːld/ /ˈkiːlhɔːld/ |
| past participle keelhauled | /ˈkiːlhɔːld/ /ˈkiːlhɔːld/ |
| -ing form keelhauling | /ˈkiːlhɔːlɪŋ/ /ˈkiːlhɔːlɪŋ/ |
- keelhaul somebody (old use) to punish a sailor by pulling him under a ship, from one side to the other or from one end to the other
- keelhaul somebody (humorous) to punish somebody very severely or speak very angrily to somebody
Word Originmid 17th cent.: from Dutch kielhalen.