strappado
/strəˈpɑdoʊ/
noun
- A form of torture in which a person's hands are tied behind their back and they are lifted by a rope attached to the wrists, then dropped partway.
- The prisoner was subjected to the strappado during interrogation.
- The museum exhibit included a replica of a strappado device used in medieval times.
- Historians describe the strappado as one of the most painful methods of punishment.