Since this word has not appeared on the Board, nor in AWAD archives, nor in tsuwm's site, it seemed worth posting: "A mountain lion's tongue is studded with spikes that can flense cartilage from bone or hair from its prey's hide."
From Discover, June 2001,p.62

I think the word "flense" is poorly chosen. The etymology of "flense" describes a rather different process.
Flense (?), v. t. [Cf. Dan. flense, D. vlensen, vlenzen, Scot. flinch.] To strip the blubber or skin from, as from a whale, seal,

Flensing involves careful dissection to remove the blubber in large pieces. The text in the magazine describes removal of hair or tissue by the spikes on the big cat's tongue. For this the word "rasp" would be a much better description.

After flensing the blubber from the whale, the next step was to "try" it in big heated kettles. This meaning of "try" is seldom heard today, the word "render" being used instead.

Moby Dick is the place to have been exposed to those words (and many more such) for the first time. We probably don't even remember having come across them before, but that's the source!

This meaning of "try" is seldom heard today, the word "render" being used instead.
One could try rendering the blubber with a rasp but, frankly, I flense at the thought.

It is hard for us today to imagine how precious the whale oil was,so that great pains had to to taken to waste none of the blubber. Whaling cruises often lasted several years, and the ships could not hold many hundred barrels.Imagine what the chow was like, with nothing but salt meat and weevily biscuits. Mutiny muttered if no plum duff, the simplest possible pudding on Sunday.

Yeah, but there was protein in those weevils!

DubDub

Weevils undoubtedly contain protein. But their outer shell is probably chitin, notoriously indigestible. I have seen cats eat cupfuls of beetles, and then have to regurgitate a revolting bolus of beetle shells. I recall reading that before biting an ancient sea biscuit, the diner knocked the biscuit against the table sharply to
suggest to the weevils that they should exfenestrate themselves. I do not care to dwell on what I suspect the weevils left behind as proof of their occupancy.

I do not care to dwell on what I suspect the weevils left behind as proof of their occupancy.

Ut si

Dear wwh:

For the record, I like very much the use of flense in the context you first posted here. It is graphic, clean, and to-the-point. It's been used there almost poetically. Give those poets a break, huh?

And, Faldage, for us bumpkins, what does "Ut si" mean? All I can think of it "court-sey," and I'm fairly surely that word doesn't fit the context at all.

Best regards,
Wordwind

My Latin does not match Faldage's but I believe it means "Let it be so." And Wordwind, I am deeply regretful that you do not share my feelings about "flense" meaning quite a different action from "rasp". To me the difference is one of the reasons we study words.
Just to tease you, I suggest you inform yourself, if you do not already know it, about the rasping texture of the cat's tongue, and the peculiar similarity with the tomcat's treasure, which in operation elicits a ludicrous alternately gratified and outraged vocalization from the recipient.

Nor does mine Dr. Bill's but I meant it as as if.

Huh? re:to suggest to the weevils that they should exfenestrate themselves.

so you'd call the little tube they gnawed for them selves windows? maybe..

and wouldn't the weevils (if they are the same weevils i have been known to get in the summer) be pupa of a small moth? no crustie outer shell- just soft fatty little pupa. and you'd knock the biscuit to dislodge the dust-like frass..

(frass being the correct term, as i recall for insect excretia..) the pupa, would still be latched on, since they glue themselve on with something like saliva...

sometimes i think we are entirely too squimish-- while i don't make a habit of eating insects.. a ant here or there is no big deal. -- but remember the old kids joke..
whats worse than finding a worm in your apple?

Finding half a worm!