I Swear English › Vocabulary A–Z › Spank the Plank
What does ‘Spank the Plank’ mean?
Related forms: Modern Idiom
Spank the Plank means to play the guitar. Particularly in reference to "Rock and Roll". To spank is to hit the bottom (normally of a child) repeatedly with the open palm of the hand as a form of punishment. A plank is a long flat piece of wood used for carpentry and in the making of floors and wooden boats. If we imagine a person spanking a plank it conjures up a vivid metaphor of a rock and roller playing the guitar.
“I would like to spank the plank like Jimmi Hendrix or Eric Clapton”.
Watch: ‘Spank the Plank’ explained
Video transcript
Hi there. To spank the plank. OK, this is a nice idiom. OK. It means to play the guitar. OK. To spank, to hit with your open hand. If a child is bad, sometimes the parents will smack, or spank the child. So spank. And then a plank is a long flat piece of wood. So, to spank the plank, to play the guitar. OK. Thanks for watching. See you in another video soon. Bye for now.
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