scavenger's daughter used in the Tower of London, a metal rack through which head, hands, and legs were strapped, and the victim made to bend and compress oneself so forcefully that blood would ooze from the nose and ears. Also known as the iron shackle or the stork.
scold's bridle an iron muzzlelike apparatus fit around the head, with a mouthpiece that stuck the tongue with sharp spikes if the wearer stirred or spoke, used as punishment for mouthy or troublesome women, including workhouse inmates in England and Scotland in the 1600s. Also known as the Branks.
scourge a multithonged whip or flail.
shunning in some Christian sects, the act of ignoring and avoiding someone who has sinned or acted out in some way against the church.
star chamber in the English court of law and operating out of the palace of Westminster from the 15th century to 1641, a secret court that tried cases without juries, witnesses, or the possibility of appeal, and which punished those found guilty with whippings, cutting off of ears, imprisonment, and the pillory. As an adjective, any secret, arbitrary, or strict institution of law that disregards human rights.
strappado used during the Middle Ages, a form of torture in which victims' hands were tied behind their backs and then pulled up into the air by another rope, which dislocated the arms. Also known as a reverse hanging.
tarring and feathering in Europe and in the American colonies in the 1700s, a form of mob punishment in which one was stripped to the waist and covered in tar and then plastered with or rolled in chicken feathers and made to ride in a cart through town as a form of humiliation.
Third Geneva Convention created in 1949, an international treaty agreement that spells out how prisoners of war are to be cared for during their captivity and that prohibits all forms of torture.
thumbscrew used during the Middle Ages, a vice placed over a victim's finger, thumb, or toe, and slowly crushed.
tocks similar to a pillory, a contrivance of boards that lock in a sitting victim's feet, hands, or head, or sometimes all of these. Used to publicly humiliate military deserters or minor offenders from the Middle Ages through colonial America.
torture chamber any room used for torture, where various torture devices may be set up, used from as early as Roman times and widespread during the Middle Ages, with the most notorious being used during the Spanish Inquisition.
Tower of London a fortress and prison in central London, famous for holding a torture chamber, which included such devices as the rack and the scavenger's daughter.
waterboarding originating during the Spanish Inquisition or earlier and used by the United States on suspected al-Qaeda suspects after the 9/11 attacks, a form of torture in which a victim is put on his back, with his hands and feet tied and his head inclined, while water is then poured over the mouth and nose to simulate drowning.
water ingestion a form of torture in which a victim has water forced down his throat, sometimes to the point of death, used against American soldiers by the Japanese in World War II.
whipping boy as part of the English court in the 1600s and 1700s, any boy who served as a substitute to a young prince when punishment for the prince's misbehavior was called for. The substitute, usually a close companion, would be whipped or beaten either for the prince's poor school performance or for acting out. The practice arose because a prince could not be physically punished by anyone other than the king, who was often away or too busy to attend to disciplinary matters.
abdicate vb. (AB duh KAYT) to give up one's position, office, or power. The outraged citizens forced the king to abdicate the throne.
aberration n. (AB uh RAY shun) a deviation from the norm. The hot weather we've had this January is an aberration.
abhor vb. (ab HOR) to loathe or detest. I abhor people who are habitually late.
abject adj. (AB jekt) the absolute worst or most extreme. The migrants slept in their car and were living in abject poverty.
abominable adj. (uh BOM un uh bul) horrible; awful. That the homeless were forced out of the shelter this winter was abominable.
abridge vb. (uh BRIJ) to shorten or reduce. My editor asked me to abridge my book, as I've gone well over the contracted word length.
absolve vb. (ub ZOLV) to free from blame; to exonerate. The attorney was certain the new evidence would absolve his client.
abstain vb. (ub STAYN) to refrain from doing something; to hold back. I am finally going to abstain from pipe-smoking forever.
abstinence n. (AB stuh nens) the act or condition of going or living without something. When it comes to alcohol, I plan to practice abstinence.
abstract adj. (AB strakt) nonrepresentational; not easily identified or defined. We had a difficult time trying to understand Aunt Mary's abstract art.
abstruse adj. (ab STROOS) incomprehensible or understood by only a few. Einstein's theories are quite abstruse.
acclimate vb. (AK luh mayt) to adapt or accustom oneself. It takes time to acclimate oneself to the cold of the Arctic.
accolades n. (AK uh LAYDZ) honor or recognition for something well done. The movie is winning accolades from critics.
accomplice n. (uh KOM plis) one who accompanies or helps another commit a crime. The thief's accomplice was also found guilty but given a lesser sentence.
accord n. (uh KORD) agreement; harmony. The two nations suspended hostilities and reached accord.
according to Hoyle according to the book or to the highest authority, so-named after card game expert Edmond Hoyle. We've constructed everything according to Hoyle, so we should be successful.
accost vb. (uh KOST) to approach or greet, especially in an aggressive manner. Be prepared for every salesman in the store to accost you.
Achilles' heel n. (uh KILL eez HEEL) a metaphor for a serious weakness, from the myth of Achilles, who was invulnerable everywhere except on his heel. The lack of research and development turned out to be the company's Achilles' heel, as it ultimately had to bow to the competition.
ORDS AND EXPRESSIONS YOU SHOULD KNOW
Following are "big" words and phrases that turn up again and again in magazines such as Time and Newsweek and in the speeches of the world's most articulate speakers. These are words and terms every literate person should know, to sharpen both comprehension and communication skills.
acid test n. any test of value or genuineness, so- named after the jeweler's nitric acid test to determine the authenticity of gold. The acid test of a good politician is her following through on campaign promises.