strappado

A form of torture in which the victim is lifted off the ground by a rope attached to the wrists, which have been tied behind the back, and then is dropped partway to the ground with a jerk.

The apparatus employed in this method of torture.

A punishment or torture which consisted in raising the victim to a certain height by a rope and letting him fall suddenly, the rope being secured to his person in such a way that the jerk in falling would inflict violent pain.

To torture by the strappado.

To punish or torture by the strappado.

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.

A form of torture in which the victim is hung from the ceiling by a rope attached to the hands, which are tied together behind the victim’s back.

To torture by means of this device.

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