GOAD

The goad is a traditional farming implement, used to spur or guide livestock, usually oxen, which are pulling a plow or a cart; used also to round up cattle. It is a type of long stick with a pointed end, also known as the cattle prod. The word is from Middle English gode, from Old English gād. In Sophocles's Oedipus Rex, Oedipus's father Laius tried to kill his son with a goad when they accidentally met at a crossroads.