cobbings

Noun

cobbing (countable and uncountable, plural cobbings)

1. (prison) an unofficial form of punishment among the crew or prisoners involving blows to the buttocks from a piece of wood or a handsaw.
   • Previous to the infliction of cobbing, or booting, the delinquent is fairly tried by a court, consisting of–a president, the oldest soldier; members, next two oldest soldiers, youngest soldier, next youngest soldier.1846, Henry Marshall, Military Miscellany, page 156
2. The manual separation of minerals in ore using a hammer.
   • It is, therefore, always so arranged that the dressing progresses gradually through all the operations, beginning in the mine and ending with the cobbing, or, as the case may be. with the concentration.1868, Guido Küstel, A Treatise on Concentration of All Kinds of Ores, page 28
3. The production of cobs.
   • In America, Canada, and Central Europe, for example, snow lies feet deep on the ground in the winter, and the summers are sufficiently hot to enable maize to be grown successfully for cobbing,1955, Sir Enoch Bruce Levy, Grasslands of New Zealand, page 64