iron maiden
noun
: a supposed medieval torture device consisting of a hollow iron statue or coffin in the shape of a woman that is lined with spikes which impale the enclosed victim
Examples of iron maiden in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The end result, constructed at Harvard, resembled the nave of a cathedral built by aliens to worship radial symmetry, or an iron maiden for punishing giant cubes.
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Caity Weaver, New York Times, 23 Nov. 2022
But there’s always the hope of coming up with the next iron maiden.
—Jack Handey, The New Yorker, 23 May 2022
Winter coats can be like iron maidens for kids with sensory issues.
—Washington Post, 21 Dec. 2017
Caity Weaver, New York Times, 23 Nov. 2022
But there’s always the hope of coming up with the next iron maiden.
—Jack Handey, The New Yorker, 23 May 2022
Winter coats can be like iron maidens for kids with sensory issues.
—Washington Post, 21 Dec. 2017
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'iron maiden.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Iron maiden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/iron%20maiden. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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