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iron maiden
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noun
a medieval instrument of torture fashioned as a box in the shape of a woman, large enough to hold a human being, and studded with sharp spikes on the inside.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Also called iron maiden of Nuremberg.
Origin of iron maiden
1890–95; translation of German eiserne Jungfrau
Words nearby iron maiden
ironist, ironize, iron-jawed, iron law of wages, iron lung, iron maiden, iron man, ironmaster, iron meteorite, iron mold, ironmonger
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use iron maiden in a sentence
Now, my dear, the first thing I want to see is that Iron Maiden there's so much talk about.
British Dictionary definitions for iron maiden
iron maiden
noun
a medieval instrument of torture, consisting of a hinged case (often shaped in the form of a woman) lined with iron spikes, which was forcibly closed on the victim
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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