iron heel
- noun
- NSFW
:
tacón de hierro
- In the exhibit, a replica of an iron heel reveals the cruel ingenuity of medieval torturers.
Examples
-
Historical accounts describe the iron heel as a device used to inflict brutal punishment on captives.
-
The iron heel crushed his foot.
-
The prisoner was subjected to the agonies of the iron heel during the interrogation.
-
Don't underestimate the pain caused by an iron heel!
-
Historical accounts describe the iron heel as a device used to inflict brutal punishment on captives.
-
In the exhibit, a replica of an iron heel reveals the cruel ingenuity of medieval torturers.
-
The prisoner was subjected to the agonies of the iron heel during the interrogation.
Synonyms
52
9.9
A metal device used in the past to crush or heat the foot to cause pain
5
9.9
A metal tool used in the past to crush a person's foot and leg during torture
A heavy metal thing shaped like a boot used to crush or burn a person's foot and leg
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'iron' (a metal) with 'heel' (the rear part of the foot): an "iron heel" denotes a heel made of iron, which naturally suggests a hard/rigid object capable of crushing or being heated for torture. This is a literal noun+noun composition that follows ordinary English compounding patterns and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Iron heel comes from a real torture tool: a heavy piece of iron used to press a person's heel and foot to cause crushing pain. So, the phrase means 'a tool used to crush or badly hurt someone's feet'.