tawse

thumb|280px| Examples of the tawse, made in Lochgelly. An exhibit in the [[Abbot House, Dunfermline. The painting is 'The Dominie Functions' (1826) by George Harvey (1806-1876)]]

The tawse, sometimes formerly spelled taws (the plural of Scots taw, a thong of a whip), is an implement for corporal punishment applied either to the buttocks (see spanking) or the palm of the hand (known as hand tawsing). The tawse is a leather strap that has one end split into one or more prongs. A spanking administered with a tawse is technically known as tawsing, although the terms strapping and belting may be used to describe it.