English

Alternative forms

• tar and feather

Verb

tar-and-feather

1. To cover a person in sticky tar, then covered in feathers which stick to the tar. An archaic means of humiliating a person.
   • 1884 — Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, chapter XI

     The villagers had a strong desire to tar-and-feather Injun Joe and ride him on a rail, for body-snatching, but so formidable was his character that nobody could be found who was willing to take the lead in the matter, so it was dropped