Figging is a BDSM activity in which a peeled piece of ginger (often carved into the shape of a small butt plug) is inserted into the anus or, less commonly, the vagina. The ginger gives an intense sensation of burning without causing actual harm to the rectal cavity. The sensation can be made more or less intense as the wearer tightens and loosens the anal sphincter muscles.
The act of figging was historically used in the Roman Empire and Ancient Greece as a method of punishment for female slaves; it was also later used on female prisoners in the Victorian Era. The terms gingering and feaguing were both used when horse owners would perform the act of figging on their older, sicker horses in the hope of selling them for the price of a younger, healthier horse. The burning sensation of the ginger would drive the horse to run around more nervously, and hold their body more upright, making it look like a younger animal.
