Legal Definitions - keelhaul

Definition: Keelhaul (keel-hawl), verb.

1. Hist. To drag a person through the water under the bottom of a ship as punishment or torture.
2. To rebuke or reprimand harshly.

Examples:

• The pirate captain ordered his crew to keelhaul the disobedient sailor.
• The coach keelhauled the team for their poor performance in the game.

The first example illustrates the historical use of keelhauling as a form of punishment or torture on a ship. The disobedient sailor was dragged through the water under the ship's bottom, which could cause severe injury or death. The second example shows the modern use of keelhauling as a metaphor for harshly reprimanding someone, such as a coach scolding their team for a poor performance.