English dictionary
strappado
/str/@/'p/A/d/oU/
Definitions, examples, synonyms and antonyms from WordNet 3.0.
noun
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a form of torture in which the hands are tied behind a person's back and they are lifted off the ground by a rope tied to their wrists, then allowed to drop until their fall is checked with a jerk by the rope
Synonyms strapadoSource: WordNet 3.0
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A military punishment formerly practiced, which consisted in drawing an offender to the top of a beam and letting him fall to the length of the rope, by which means a limb was often dislocated.
Source: webster1913
verb
-
To punish or torture by the strappado.
Source: webster1913