·vt To beat with a stick.
II. Towel ·noun A cloth used for wiping, especially one used for drying anything wet, as the person after a bath.
An oaken towel, a cudgel. To rub one down with an oaken towel; to beat or cudgel him. ...
Dictionary of The Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose
A word very absurdly introduced into marine law. "If a mariner," says Molloy, "shall commit a fault,...
The Sailor's Word-Book