Belting

Belting is the substantive derived from the verb to Belt, and hence has the same heterogenous meanings.

Beating

Belts made of strong materials (mostly leather) can be used as a whip-like instrument for corporal punishment (see that article for generalities and alternatives) of the educational type, to administer a sound beating to a miscreant youth (usually a boy), generally bent over the lap or furniture, most often on the bottom (e.g. in Mexico a nalga pelota) or sometimes the back of both, for efficiency usually bared as the fairly large surface at impact would be greatly diminished if spread over so much protective textile to administer a sort of whipping. The educator (usually male, most often the father) can use his own belt (always at hand) or the one worn by the boy to be punished- indeed in the mid-19th century many boys were made to wear a belt by their parents, in part to be used as a punishment device and as a permanent reminder; in other cases, especially in a institutional context, a separate belt is kept (e.g. in the head?s office) solely for disciplinary use, and possibly displayed, again as a warning. In contemporary times, however, the belt has fallen out of popularity in the West, primarily because it is considered by some to be an abusive punishment in that it can cause severe welts and bruising.

Related Topics:
Belt - Corporal punishment

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The difference with a strapping, although in practice both terms are also used unprecisely as synonyms, is that a strap is harder, made from heavier and/or thicker leather, and may be specially made for discipline and have a handle (notably a prison strap), while a 'real' belt is a pervertible (i.e. made for another purpose, but also suitabele for administering discipline).

Related Topics:
Strapping - Pervertible

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A belt can be used to lash in three ways:

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• doubled (holding both ends in one hand; this halves its length ?necessary in case of over knee or lap discipline as more arm space lacks- but increases its effective thickness, both making it behave more like a strap),
• single while holding the buckle (its weight is neutralized in both cases, which softens the impact),
• least common but most severe, holding the buckle-less end, so that the buckle can 'bite' the flesh particularly hard.

The term is also used figuratively for any beating in general, regardless of the implement (e.g. in Scotland, the tawse, a forked type of strap, was frequently called the belt) or even absence thereof, also in the figurative sense, such as a defeat or similarly unpleasant, painful and/or humiliating (e.g. verbal) treatment, or even an impersonal misfortune that feels as painful, such as a financial loss.

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