Flagellate: verb flog, either as a religious discipline or for sexual gratification.
We flagellate ourselves for our substandard performance at the gym
Drink expensive coffee and kid ourselves discreetly that these are really good times
(Lawrence Arabia, ‘Talk About The Good Times’)
Lawrence Arabia, a.k.a. New Zealand songwriter James Milne, is a quiet achiever with a dab hand for off-kilter pop songs with excellent lyrics, and ‘Talk About The Good Times’, from his first album is no exception. And the video must surely win an award for the best (and perhaps only) use of a Swanndri in a music video. I enjoyed seeing him play support to Liam Finn in London in December 2008, and vowed then to track down more of his music.
Rock Vocab 