They may indicate corporal punishment (7)

I believe the answer is:

stripes

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'corporal punishment' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.

(Other definitions for stripes that I've seen before include "Chevrons on uniforms" , "Long bands of colour" , "Bands or lines" , "See 17" , "Bands of contrasting colours" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph, The Globe and Mail and The Guardian.

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