Definition of "cowhide" [cow•hide]

• The hide of a cow. (noun)
• The leather made from this hide. (noun)
• A strong heavy flexible whip, usually made of braided leather. (noun)
• To beat with a strong heavy flexible whip. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "All are made from luxurious top grain cowhide leather."
• "This was invariably his custom, when the subject was recalled to his mind -- 'Yes!' he exclaimed, 'the cowhide was my breakfast, and dinner, and supper,' meaning that he had been exposed to the lash"
• "His appearance would indicate the sailor and the horse-jockey; he wore a tarpauling and blue jacket, high-top boots with spurs, and leather trousers; he flourished a riding stick, commonly known as a cowhide, and had large gold rings dangling in his ears."