wale the tar out of you

Posted by Smokey Stover May 21, 2008 at 05:42In reply to wale the tar out of you posted by RRC on May 20, 2008 at 14:51:

I'm in my 60's. My Dad was born in England, was Welsh, and used the phrase, "I'm going to wail (whale) the tar out of you." Meaning either my sister or I were going to get punished if we didn't stop doing something, or if we were doing something wrong.

Heard that in West Virginia too.

The spelling is wale. From Merriam Webster:
"to mark (as the skin) with welts"

In the example given, whale is correct. Used as a transitive verb it means to thrash, to strike or hit soundly. The word has undergone some change in usage in the most recent generation, I think. I have heard the expression "whale on me," meaning, I think, to give me a whaling, or perhaps just to strike me.
SS