Past tense of flog: to beat someone repeatedly with a whip or stick as punishment, or to promote something excessively.
Possibly from Dutch 'vloggen' or imitative of the sound a whip makes. It entered English in the 17th century, though its origin is uncertain and debated among etymologists.
Today 'flogged' is mostly used in the marketing phrase 'flogging a product,' but historically it was a brutal Navy punishment—sailors who broke rules could receive 100+ lashes on the deck, creating a hierarchy of fear onboard ships.
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