transitive verb.
To discipline by dragging under the keel of a ship.
transitive verb.
To rebuke harshly.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
To haul under the keel of a ship.
Figuratively, to reprimand severely; haul over the coals. Also keelrake.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
intransitive verb.
To haul under the keel of a ship, by ropes attached to the yardarms on each side. It was formerly practiced as a punishment in the Dutch and English navies.