In North America, the word "spanking" has often been used as a synonym for an official paddling in school, and sometimes even as a euphemism for the formal corporal punishment of adults in an institution.

In British English, "spanking" means only with the open hand. In American English, it can mean with either the open hand or an implement such as a paddle. Thus, the standard form of corporal punishment in US schools (licks with a paddle) is often referred to as a spanking, whereas its pre-1997 English equivalent (strokes of the cane) would never have been so described.

In Britain, Australia and New Zealand, the word "smacking" is generally used in preference to "spanking" to describe striking with the punisher's open hand, but this can refer to slapping the child's hands, arms or legs as well as its buttocks.

Some countries now prohibit spanking as a form of discipline, even by parents, and many organizations dedicated to the health of children nowadays oppose it. They believe the young person does not benefit from being spanked and might even be harmed. Other groups, such as some parents' groups, maintain that moderate spanking is a useful disciplinary tool in the context of a stable family life.

The term "spanking" is nowadays often used figuratively to mean besting by a wide margin. If something spanks something else, it means it easily exceeds the capabilities of something else. This metaphorical usage is particularly found in American sports reporting, where winning team X is described as having "spanked" losing team Y.

Etymology

The verb "to spank" has been known in English since 1785, possibly onomatopeic in nature.

English and several other languages have a specific, common verb for "spanking" that relates it explicitly to the buttocks. Thus in Latin the only word derived from "culus" (buttocks) was "culare" meaning "to spank", similar to the Italian "sculacciare"; in Spanish "azotes" or "nalgadas", from "nalga" (butt); in French, the verb is "fesser", also from "fesses" (buttocks).Fact: date=October 2008

In the home

main: Corporal punishment in the home Spankings are most commonly administered to children by their parents.

Historically, boys have tended to be more frequently spanked on average than girls.

In schools

main: School corporal punishment School corporal punishment, usually delivered with an implement (such as a paddle or cane) rather than with the open hand, used to be common in many countries but it is now banned in most of the western world, including every country in Europe, and in Japan, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand.

Formal corporal punishment remains prevalent in schools in many Asian and African countries.