Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Polish term or phrase:
kaszownik
English translation:
murder hole /meurtrière for pouring hot kasha
Added to glossary by
magdadh
Mar 6, 2015 17:43
9 yrs ago
Polish term
kaszownik
Polish to English
Art/Literary
Architecture
a hole in the (city) wall through which hot water, oil, or porridge (presumably oat in my neck of woods, and barley in the town ST refers to) was poured or heavy objects thrown at the besieging enemy
Mam: murder hole ale może ktoś zna nieco łagodniej???
Mam: murder hole ale może ktoś zna nieco łagodniej???
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 +1 | murder hole /meurtrière for pouring hot kasha |
Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D.
|
Proposed translations
+1
27 mins
Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D.
United States
United States
Native in Polish
&
English
United States
On time, on target, on budget.
Native in: English 
, Polish
Works in: Polish to English, English to Polish, Russian to Polish, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
320
Selected
murder hole /meurtrière for pouring hot kasha
:) Usually used for molten lead and other hot liquids.
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Note added at 49 mins (2015-03-06 18:32:56 GMT)
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other possibilites:
breteche
machicolation
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Note added at 53 mins (2015-03-06 18:37:42 GMT)
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generically, one can say hot kasha spouts
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Note added at 8 hrs (2015-03-07 02:00:00 GMT)
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A murder hole or meurtrière is a hole in the ceiling of a gateway or passageway in a fortification through which the defenders could fire, throw or pour harmful substances or objects, such as rocks, arrows, scalding water, hot sand, quicklime, tar, or boiling oil, down on attackers. Boiling oil was rarely used because of its cost. Similar holes, called machicolations, were often located in the curtain walls of castles, fortified manor houses, and city walls. The parapet would project over corbels so that holes would be located over the exterior face of the wall, allowing the defenders to target attackers at the base of the wall.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder-hole
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Note added at 49 mins (2015-03-06 18:32:56 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
other possibilites:
breteche
machicolation
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 53 mins (2015-03-06 18:37:42 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
generically, one can say hot kasha spouts
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 hrs (2015-03-07 02:00:00 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
A murder hole or meurtrière is a hole in the ceiling of a gateway or passageway in a fortification through which the defenders could fire, throw or pour harmful substances or objects, such as rocks, arrows, scalding water, hot sand, quicklime, tar, or boiling oil, down on attackers. Boiling oil was rarely used because of its cost. Similar holes, called machicolations, were often located in the curtain walls of castles, fortified manor houses, and city walls. The parapet would project over corbels so that holes would be located over the exterior face of the wall, allowing the defenders to target attackers at the base of the wall.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder-hole
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
mike23
: Yes. Let our enemies beware.
19 hrs
|
|
Thank you, Michał. Apparently, if the boiling oatmeal did not kill them, extra calories surely did.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Discussion
Murder holes seems to be better, but I see that they were, as you have just mentioned, used in ceilinged structures. Embrasures were used in walls and between raised wall portions, but still they were used mainly by archers...