flail (verb)

an implement consisting of handle with a free swinging stick at the end; used in manual threshing

thrash, thresh, lam, flail (verb)

give a thrashing to; beat hard

flail, thresh (verb)

move like a flail; thresh about

"Her arms were flailing"

flail (Noun)

A tool used for threshing, consisting of a long handle with a shorter stick attached with a short piece of chain, thong or similar material.

flail (Noun)

A weapon which has the (usually spherical) striking part attached to the handle with a flexible joint such as a chain.

flail (Verb)

To beat using a flail or similar implement.

flail (Verb)

To wave or swing vigorously

flail (Verb)

To thresh.

Flail

The term flail refers to two different weapons: one a two-handed infantry weapon derived from an agricultural tool, and the other a one-handed weapon. The defining characteristic of both is that they involve a separate striking head attached to a handle by a flexible rope, strap, or chain. The two-handed variant saw use in a limited number of conflicts during the European Middle Ages. The two-handed flail is a hand weapon derived from the agricultural tool of the same name, commonly used in threshing. Only a limited amount of historical evidence exists for their employment in Europe during this era. These were deployed in Germany and Central Europe in the later Middle Ages. This weapon consists of a hinged bar connected to a longer shaft. In Korea the flail as an agricultural tool is called "dorikke" but as a weapon, it is called "pyeongon". The Japanese term for their equivalent of the ball-on-a-chain bludgeon is "rentsuru", while the Chinese version's name translates vividly into English as meteor hammer.

Flail

A flail is an agricultural tool used for threshing, the process of separating grains from their husks. It is usually made from two or more large sticks attached by a short chain; one stick is held and swung, causing the other (the swipple) to strike a pile of grain, loosening the husks. The precise dimensions and shape of flails were determined by generations of farmers to suit the particular grain they were harvesting. For example, flails used by farmers in Quebec to process wheat were generally made from two pieces of wood, the handle being about 1.5 m (4.9 ft) long by 3 cm (1.2 in) in diameter, and the second stick being about 1 m (3.3 ft) long by about 3 cm (1.2 in) in diameter, with a slight taper towards the end. Flails for other grains, such as rice or spelt, would have had different dimensions. Flails have generally fallen into disuse in many nations because of the availability of technologies such as combine harvesters that require much less manual labour. But in many places, such as Minnesota, wild rice can only be harvested legally using manual means, specifically through the use of a canoe and a flail that is made of smooth, round wood no more than 30 inches long.