What does figging mean?
Figging is the practice of inserting a piece of peeled ginger root into a horse's rectum so that the burning irritation causes the animal to clamp and raise its tail, making it appear lively and well-bred. Historically, horse dealers and exhibitors used figging to enhance an animal's appearance at sales and shows, effectively disguising a dull or listless tail as a sign of spirit. The technique takes its name from the shape of the ginger root, which resembles a fig. Today the practice is condemned as cruel and deceptive, and it is prohibited under the rules of modern showing bodies, though the word survives in discussions of veterinary history and animal welfare. Figging also has an extended sense referring to the deliberate use of ginger in human erotic or disciplinary play, where the same burning sensation is sought intentionally. Because of these associations, the term is best reserved for precise, factual discussion rather than casual use.
nounThe act or practice of inserting a piece of peeled ginger root into a horse's rectum, traditionally done to make the animal hold its tail high and carry it jauntily; by extension, the application of the same technique in human erotic or disciplinary contexts.
- The insertion of peeled ginger root into a horse's rectum to make it carry its tail high and animated, formerly done before horse sales and shows; now widely regarded as cruel and prohibited.
- The application of the same ginger-insertion technique in human erotic or disciplinary contexts, producing an intense burning sensation.
"The practice of figging was once common at horse shows until it was banned as cruel."
"Victorian horse dealers were notorious for figging their animals to disguise a sluggish tail and fetch a better price."
"The old show-ring rule against figging was introduced after veterinarians condemned the practice as painful and deceptive."
Figging got its name because the ginger root was shaped like a 'fig' — and horse traders once used it to fake a prize-winning tail carriage.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of figging
The word derives from the verb "to fig," meaning to insert a piece of ginger, itself a humorous use of the noun "fig" (the fruit), since the carved ginger root was said to resemble a fig. "Fig" entered English in the Middle Ages via Old French "figue," ultimately from Latin "ficus." The same Latin root gives us "ficus" as a botanical genus name, and, through Greek "sykophantes" (literally "fig-shower"), connects distantly to "sycophant." The horse-related practice of figging is attested from around the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
How figging is actually used
Figging is a niche, somewhat archaic term. Its primary historical sense concerns horses and is now encountered mainly in discussions of veterinary history, animal welfare, and equestrian fraud; the extended human sense appears mostly in specialist writing on sexuality. The word carries negative connotations of cruelty and deception in its original sense.
Easily confused with figging
Frigging is a vulgar euphemism meaning sexual intercourse or used as an intensifier, whereas figging refers specifically to the insertion of ginger root.