Whip

A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain.

The portion used for striking is generally either a firm rod designed for direct contact, or a flexible line requiring a specialized swing.

Whips such as the "cat o' nine tails" and knout are specifically developed for corporal punishment or torture on human targets.

Other uses of whips are to provide a visual directional cue by extending the reach and visibility of the human arm.

In modern times, the pain stimulus is still used in some animal training, and is permitted in many fields, including most equestrianism disciplines, some of which mandate carrying a whip.

The whip can be a vital tool to back up riding aids when applied correctly, particularly when initial commands are ignored.

Whips used without painful stimulus, as an extension of the human hand or arm, are a visual command, or to tap an animal, or to exert pressure.

Short, stiff crops often have a wide leather "popper" at the end which makes a particularly loud noise when slapped against an animal, boot, or other object.

A stockwhip's handle is connected to the thong by a joint typically made of a few strands of thick leather (which is called a keeper).

A bullwhip consists of a handle between 20 and 30 cm (8 and 12 in) in length, and a lash composed of a braided thong between 1 and 6 metres (3 and 20 ft) long.

The cattle drafter (or drafting whip) is a cane or fibreglass rod with a handgrip, knob and wrist strap.

A long handle was cut from spotted gum or another native tree and was frequently taller than the bullock driver's shoulder.

The bullocky walked beside the team and kept the bullocks moving with taps from the long handle as well as using the thong as needed.

[4] The Rose whip is another variation of the stockwhip that was pioneered in Canada in the early 19th century, though it largely fell out of use by the 1880s.

This variation was pioneered in the small Ontario city of Hamilton in the early 20th century, though it largely fell out of use by the 1920s.

Some types concentrate a load in the butt (often a lead ball or steel ball-bearing) to facilitate its use as improvised blackjack.

There are many different kinds, but all feature a handle, a long, semi-flexible shaft, and either a popper or lash at the end, depending on use.

Some of the more common types of horse whips include: Rudyard Kipling's short story Garm - a Hostage mentions a long whip used by a horseback rider in India to defend an accompanying pet dog from risk of attack by native pariah dogs.

Examples are found in the works of Benjamin Disraeli[citation needed] and Anthony Trollope who includes such a scene in Doctor Thorne.

As late as the 1970s the historian Desmond Seward was reported by the Daily Telegraph to have been threatened with horsewhipping for besmirching the reputation of Richard III in a biography[citation needed].

The cat is made up of nine knotted thongs of cotton cord, about 0.8 metres (2+1⁄2 ft) long, designed to lacerate the skin and cause intense pain.

Bamboo node-like protrusions are attached to the weapon body at regular intervals to reduce the contact surface and enhance the striking effect.

It consists of several metal rods, which are joined end-to-end by rings to form a flexible chain.

It has been proposed that some sauropod dinosaurs could crack the ends of their tails like coach whips as a sound signal, as well as a form of defense against any attackers.

Newer, more sophisticated models, however, suggest that while the tails of some Diplodocid Dinosaurs could be used as whips, they likely would not have been able to break the sound barrier.

Whips have appeared in many cartoons, television shows, video games (including a central role in the Castlevania franchise), and numerous feature films, ranging from the original Zorro (1919) to Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Catwoman (2004).

With exact trained usage, the show demonstrated that it is possible to disarm a pistol-wielding opponent with a long whip strike.

The episode also demonstrates that a wood log, with sufficient friction, could be used as an overhang to grapple with a whip, swing across a chasm and neatly disengage.

Loading refers to the practice of filling the shaft and head with heavy metal (e.g., steel, lead) to provide some heft.