strappado

1 9.9

A torture method that ties hands behind the back, hangs the person by the wrists and suddenly drops them

noun
/stræpˈɑːdoʊ/

Offensive

: estrapamiento

During the interrogation, the captors resorted to using the strappado to extract confessions from the unwilling suspects.

Examples

There was, I believe, a girl of about 12, outwardly very fair and innocent looking, but so deeply had the detested roots ofheresy been implanted even in this child... that she refused to bear witness against her parents, and it was necessary to hoist her onto the strappado where she was...

Captain from Castile (1947)
The prisoners were subjected to the strappado, leaving them in agonizing pain as they dangled from the ropes.
Already he speaks of the strappado and tortured children.

Captain from Castile (1947)
The history book detailed the gruesome methods, including the strappado, used in medieval torture chambers.

Synonyms

strapado

vsstrappado

Offensive

9.9

A torture method tying hands behind the back and dropping a person by the wrists to cause severe pain

has identical meaning but differs only in spelling of the word

Antonyms

release

282 1.8

An act of letting someone or something go free from being held

liberation

140 3.9

The act of setting people free from control or unfair treatment

Surface Forms

strappado singular

strappados plural

Etymology

Strappado comes from the Italian word strappare, which means 'to pull' or 'to tear' and is like the English word strap, a band used to pull or tie things. So strappado names a torture where a person's hands are tied behind their back and their arms are pulled up so they hang from a rope.