Dictionary Definition
stocks n : a wooden instrument of punishment on a
post with holes for the neck and hands; offenders were locked in
and so exposed to public scorn [syn: pillory]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Noun
stocks- Plural of stock.
- (plural) A device, similar to a pillory, formerly used for public humiliation and punishment.
Translations
device for public humiliation and punishment
- ttbc Hebrew
Verb
stocks- Third-person singular present tense of the verb to stock.
Extensive Definition
Stocks are devices used since medieval times for public
humiliation, corporal
punishment, and torture. The stocks are similar
to the pillory and the
pranger, as each
consists of large, hinged, wooden boards; the difference, however,
is that when a person is placed in the stocks, their feet are
locked in place, and sometimes as well their hands or head, or
these may be chained. Also, some versions have small strings to
hold the toes in place. The
victim is in a sitting position.
With stocks, boards are placed around the legs or
the wrists, whereas in the pillory they are placed around the arms
and neck and fixed to a pole, and the victim stands. However, the
terms can be confused, and many people refer to the pillory as the
stocks.
The practice of using stocks continues to be
cited as an example of
cruel and unusual punishment.
Historical uses
The stocks were popular in medieval times as a mild restraining device for minor offenders. In the stocks, an offender's hands and head, or sometimes their ankles would be placed and locked through two or three holes in the center of a board. Either before or after this the wrongdoer might have his or her footwear removed, exposing their bare feet. Exhibiting an offender's bare feet was considered a form of humiliation. Offenders were forced to carry out their punishments in the rain, during the heat of summer, or in freezing weather, and generally would receive only bread and water, plus anything brought by their friends.Public stocks were typically positioned in the
most public place available, as public humiliation was a critical
aspect of such punishment. Typically, a person condemned to the
stocks was subjected to a variety of abuses, ranging from having
refuse thrown at them, paddling,
and tickling, to
whipping and roasting of the unprotected, extremely sensitive bare
feet, a now illegal action called bastinado.
The stocks were used in Elizabethan
England,
and by the Puritans in the
colonial period of American history. Their last recorded use in the
United Kingdom was in 1872 at Adpar, west Wales
Finger pillories often went by the name of finger
stocks
Stocks were also used as punishment for military
deserters, or for dereliction of military duty.
Current uses
The stocks have also taken on a lighter image, as
they are often found at Renaissance
Fairs where the public can experience a form of "stocks
entertainment" by watching actors locked in the stocks.
Examples
An excellent example of stocks can be seen in
Dromore,
County Down, in Northern
Ireland.
Locations of examples in England include:
See also
References
stocks in Danish: Gabestok
stocks in German: Stock (Fessel)
stocks in Icelandic: Gapastokkur
stocks in Polish: Dyby
stocks in Finnish: Jalkapuu
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
Oregon boat, assessable stock, authorized capital
stock, bilbo, blue chip,
blue chip stock, bond,
bonds, borrowed stock,
branks, bridle, camisole, capital stock,
chains, collar, common stock, convertible
preferred stock, corporate stock, crank, cucking stool, cuffs, cumulative preferred stock,
cyclical stock, defensive stock, deferred stock, ducking stool,
eighth stock, equities,
equity, equity security,
fancies, fetter, finger pillory, floating
stock, gag, glamour issue,
growth stock, guaranteed stock, gyves, halter, hamper, handcuffs, high-flier,
hobbles, hopples, hot issue, hypothecated
stock, inactive stock, income stock, irons, issued capital stock,
leading strings, leash,
letter stock, loaned stock, long stock, manacle, muzzle, nonassessable stock,
nonvoting stock, ordinary shares, pale blue chip, participating
preferred stock, penny stock, pillory, preference stock,
preferred stock, protective stock, quarter stock, rails, reins, restraint, restraints, reverse split,
seasoned stock, shackle,
share ledger, shares,
short stock, special situation stock, specialty stock, speculative
stock, split, standard
stock, steels, stock, stock ledger, stock list,
stock split, straightjacket,
strait-waistcoat, straitjacket, stranglehold, ten-share
unit stock, tether,
trammel, trammels, treadmill, treasury stock,
trebuchet, triangle, triangles, unissued capital
stock, utilities,
voting stock, whipping post, wooden horse, yoke