strappado

American  

[struh-pey-doh, -pah-] / strəˈpeɪ doʊ, -ˈpɑ- /

noun

strappadoes plural

1. an old form of punishment or torture in which the victim, with arms bound behind, was raised from the ground by a rope fastened to the wrists, abruptly released, then arrested with a painful jerk just before reaching the ground.

2. the instrument used for this purpose.

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strappado British  

/ strəˈpeɪdəʊ, -ˈpɑː- /

noun

1. a system of torture in which a victim was hoisted by a rope tied to his wrists and then allowed to drop until his fall was suddenly checked by the rope

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• strappadoes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of strappado

1550–60; alteration of Middle French strapade or its source, Italian strappata a sharp pull or tug, equivalent to strapp- (stem of strappare to snatch (< Gothic strappan to stretch) + -ata -ade ¹

Example Sentences

In this consideration neither citizen nor stranger, gentleman, knight, marques, or any may weare anie weapon endamageable vppon paine of the strappado.

From The Vnfortunate Traveller, or The Life Of Jack Wilton With An Essay On The Life And Writings Of Thomas Nash By Edmund Gosse by Gosse, Edmund

Nay, rather the strappado for me, at any time, than abandonment to foolishness so crass as this would be.

From The Record of Nicholas Freydon An Autobiography by Dawson, A. J. (Alec John)

Little fear of that, young sir!" answered he, with a grim smile; "I have had too much of the rack already, and the strappado too, to care much what man can do unto me.

From Westward Ho!, or, the voyages and adventures of Sir Amyas Leigh, Knight, of Burrough, in the county of Devon, in the reign of her most glorious majesty Queen Elizabeth by Kingsley, Charles

He dances on a rope of sand, does the somersault, strappado, and half-strappado with words, plays at all manner of games with clinches, carwickets, and quibbles, and talks under-leg.

From Character Writings of the 17th Century by Various

By ill luck there happened to be at least half a dozen callers in the drawing-room; the strappado would have been preferable, in his eyes, to such an ordeal as this.

From New Grub Street by Gissing, George