Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Crushed |
CrushedAdjective1. Treated so as to have a permanently wrinkled appearance; "crushed velvet". 2. Subdued or brought low in condition or status; "brought low"; "a broken man"; "his broken spirit". 3. Humiliated in defeat. 4. Broken or pounded into small fragments; used of e.g. ore or stone; "paved with crushed bluestone"; "ground glass is used as an abrasive". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "crushed" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references) |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Death by crushing, as a method of execution, had a long and bloody history, and the techniques to achieve this end varied greatly from place to place. This form of execution is, however, no longer sanctioned by any governing body.The most common method of death by crushing was through the use of elephants. This practice was ubiquitous throughout South and South-East Asia for over 4,000 years of recorded history, and perhaps before that. The Romans and Carthaginians also used this method on occasion. Please see crushing by elephants.
Throughout history, other forms of crushing have also been used. Pressing by weights is perhaps the most common of these. During the Salem Witch Trials, Giles Cory refused to enter a plea, and was pressed to death on September 19, 1692 in an attempt to get him to do so. In this form of torture the condemned had heavy weights placed upon him (usually large stones): death, when it occurred, was by suffocation or internal injuries.
There have also been some peculiar forms of death by crushing to receive official sanction from a ruler or governing body, both involving women as the executioners. This last fact is quite odd, because throughout history the use of women to carry out executions is exceedingly rare.
The first of these methods was designed to inflict extreme humiliation, and was practiced in the 19th century by the Watusi tribe of Africa. For centuries, the Watusi had been mortal enemies with the Pygmies as they shared attached and disputed lands. By coincidence the Watusi are the tallest people on earth, with many of the men standing over seven feet tall, while the Pygmies are the shortest people on earth, with full grown men often less than 4 feet in height.
The method of death by crushing in this instance involved the extreme humiliation of captured Pygmy warriors. The prisoner would be stripped of all his weapons and clothing, bound with ropes, and then thrown into a large, stone-floored pit that was filled with waiting Watusi women. The very tall women would then proceed, as a group, to trample heavily upon the small man, crushing him to death beneath their feet. This was considered to be extremely humiliating owing to the fact that the warrior was losing his life at the hands of women, and also because he was being treated to a death fit more for an insect than a man. Many Pygmies who showed no fear in battle dreaded the possibility of such a death, indicating that the method apparently had the desired affect.
But perhaps the most bizarre form of death by crushing was put into practice by Sultan Ghiyas-ud-Din of Malwa (1469-1500). (Malwa was a kingdom in northern India.) Apparently in an effort to satisfy an erotic urge toward violence, the Sultan had a very large wooden platform (approx. 20' x 20') built of two layers that could be parted, the upper layer sliding freely above its lower partner on vertical rails placed about the circumference of the platform.
The condemned would be placed on his back, on top of the lower platform directly in its center, while the upper platform was lowered on its rails, eventually coming down onto him and causing him to be under its full weight. The weight of the upper platform was insufficient to crush the condemned (est. 600 pounds), but was heavy enough to pin him firmly in place.
At this point, the Sultan would have women from his harem enter. Then, one by one, each woman would step up onto the upper platform and take her place upon it. An opening was cut in the upper platform for the condemned's head, so that he would not die quickly from a crushed skull, and also so that he would have to watch helplessly as the women gathered around him and their weight on his body grew ever heavier.
Although the Sultan's harem was comprised of 6,000 beautiful women, it is estimated that only about 150 women could have squeezed their way onto such a platform at one time. This is probably why the Sultan chose the tallest among his harem as executioners; so as to provide the most weight. One hundred and fifty tall women would weigh nearly eleven tons. This would explain reports of executions that described the two platform layers, to the accompaniment of the screams and cracking bones of the condemned, as coming together so tightly as to leave no discernable space between them.
The Sultan had drawings made of the uncrushed heads of his victims, and kept them as a treasured collection. Many depected the effect of the women's weight, showing the victims with entrails protruding from their mouths or eyeballs burst from their sockets.
It should be noted that fantasies of death, or vicarious death, by crushing are a feature of a paraphilia that is common enough to support a sub-genere of "trampling pornography." This might have been a motivation for the Sultan's actions.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Crushing."
Synonyms: CrushedSynonyms: broken (adj), ground (adj), humbled (adj), humiliated (adj), low (adj). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Pain | Heavy laden, stricken, crushed, a prey to, victimized, ill-used. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Or be crushed be crushed by his jolly boots of doom (Invader ZIM; writing credit: Carel Donck) Soon the Rebellion will be crushed and young Skywalker will be one of us (Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi; writing credit: George Lucas; Lawrence Kasdan) People who are different, and can be crushed and know it. Yet they keep on going out there every time (Angus; writing credit: Jill Gordon) Look at my freakin' car! It is crushed, to Bejeesus and back (Aqua Teen Hunger Force; writing credit: Matt Maiellaro; Dave Willis) Erm, why? Crushed by Cardboard, or what (The Office; writing credit: Ricky Gervais; Stephen Merchant) | |
Lyrics | My heart is crushed by a former love (Swing Swing; performing artist: ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS) My whole life has crushed (Walking On Broken Glass; performing artist: Annie Lennox) Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow (Vincent; performing artist: Don McLean) And my mind is crushed by the thrashing waves (Flood; performing artist: Jars Of Clay) Crushed velvet seats (Pink Cadillac; performing artist: Natalie Cole) | |
Clever | Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it. (references; author: Mark Twain) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Crushed Hats (1928) Truth Crushed to Earth (1916) Crushed (1914) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Wiredrag problems - buoys crushed by water pressure Buoys carried under by strong tidal currents in the Race Wiredrag party of R. P. Strough. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |  | Buoys crushed from being swept under by tidal currents Operations on the LESTER JONES. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |
 | This image shows the reef framework crushed at ground zero impact. Credit: NOAA Restoration Center. |  | Minnesota flats where the ore was crushed, note Redding California in the background. Credit: NOAA Restoration Center. |
 | Crushed lobster left in the path of a scallop drag. Homarus americanus. Credit: National Undersea Research Program (NURP). |  | Rock-handling Process (1908). Measured drawing delineated by Richard K. Anderson, Jr., 1978. (Reproduction Number: HAER, MI-2, sheet 18 of 34) Like many copper-mining operations on Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the Quincy Mining Company depended on complex processes such as the one illustrated in this HAER drawing to handle the copper and rock blasted from mines. At the company's No. 2 mine, the Shaft-Rockhouse separated the copper and rock mechanically into three distinct groups: "mass" copper (pure ore), poor rock containing little or no copper ore, and ore-rich rock and chunks larger than twenty inches. Once separated, the mass copper was shipped directly to smelters via the Great Lakes, the poor rock was crushed for use in road construction, and the material in the third group was crushed before shipment to smelters. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Damage resulting from the 17 July 1944 ammunition explosion. This view looks north from barricade magazine BM-138. A badly damaged pier is in the background with the remains of a ship barely visible off its tip (right distance). Note crushed roofs on Southern Pacific railway cars in the foreground, damaged automobile at left, railway crane in center, Marine sentry at right armed with a Reising .45 caliber submachinegun, and magazine door (labeled "BM-138/B") below the sentry. Photograph was taken by the Mare Island Navy Yard. Credit: NAVY. |  | Sorghum cane being crushed for juice at Lancaster Co., Nebraska, sorghum mill. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Wheelbarrow loaded with crushed rock to be used in bridge construction in Menard County, Texas. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Above the construction work, the aggregate storage pile which provides crushed stone and sand, Fort Loudon Dam, Tenn. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
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| "Spider" by Matthew Maaskant Commentary: "A daddy-long-legs spider that has been crushed. Visit: http://www.qr5.com ." | "Spices 2" by Bobbie Osborne Commentary: "Close-up of measuring spoons with a dash crushed red peppers, a pinch of celery salt on a cherrywood table." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Play | Caption |
 | Metal being crushed. |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Edmund Burke | People, crushed by law, have no hopes but power. |
Emo Philips | I discovered my wife in bed with another man, and I was crushed. So I said, "Get off me, you two!" |
Francis Bacon | Ill Fortune never crushed that man whom good fortune deceived not. |
Gabriel Biel | To be crushed in the winepress of passion. |
Rogers | The good are better made by ill, as odors crushed are sweeter still. |
Simonides | Fighting in the forefront of the Greeks, the Athenians crushed at Marathon the might of the gold-bearing Medes. |
William Cullen Bryant | Truth crushed to earth; shall rise again; The eternal years of God are hers; But Error; wounded; writhes in pain; And dies among her worshippers. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Sylvie and Bruno Concluded | Carroll, Lewis | The Mutiny was no doubt, all but crushed, at the time that speech was made |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | There are words and incidents which rouse beings who are crushed. |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | Pride and hope and desire like crushed herbs in his heart sent up vapours of maddening incense before the eyes of his mind |
Grapes of Wrath | Steinbeck, John | He dragged the last smoke from his raveling cigarette and then, with callused thumb and forefinger, crushed out the glowing end. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | When abused, methylphenidate tablets are often used orally or crushed and used intranasally. (references) | |
Ticks transmit the organism to vertebrates primarily by their bite. Less commonly, infections may occur following exposure to crushed tick tissues, fluids, or tick feces. (references) | ||
There is no evidence that farmers operating farm machinery in open fields (even though rodents may be crushed in the machinery) are at increased risk. Under these conditions, the natural circulation of air and virucidal properties of natural UV light make inhalation of infectious aerosols less likely. (references) | ||
Business | Papery fabric, metallic fabrics, coated fabrics, waxed fabrics, crushed and heat mercerized fabrics; stretch knits; stretch and coated denim; threads trapped between double layers of fabric; cotton voiles; dry open weaves; machine-made fabrics which emulate antique garments. (references) | |
Economic History | Sri Lanka | The JVP was crushed but at a high cost in human lives. (references) |
El Salvador | Subsequent protests and an attempted coup were crushed and Duarte exiled. (references) | |
Ukraine | Here domestically produced sunflower seeds are crushed for use in oil, food and soaps. (references) | |
Human Rights | Ghana | In the ensuing stampede, 126 persons were crushed and trampled to death as they tried to escape the tear gas. (references) |
Worker Rights | United Arab Emirates | A worker in Dubai was crushed to death by a road-rolling machine. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
Harry S. Truman | 1945-1953 | In the test of that war we found a strength of unity that brought us through--a strength that crushed the power of those who sought by force to deny our faith in the dignity of man. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Crushed" is generally used as a lexical verb (past participle) -- approximately 43.26% of the time. "Crushed" is used about 815 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Lexical Verb (past participle) | 43.26% | 353 | 15,179 |
| Lexical Verb (past tense) | 33.33% | 272 | 17,812 |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 22.06% | 180 | 23,046 |
| Noun (proper) | 1.35% | 11 | 106,044 |
| Total | 100.00% | 815 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "crushed": be crushed ♦ crushed ground ♦ crushed ice ♦ crushed leather ♦ crushed patent ♦ crushed rock ♦ crushed stone. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "crushed": crushed-pumice, crushed-velvet. | |
Ending with "crushed": body-crushed, finely-crushed, freshly-crushed, rough-crushed. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "crushed"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | i thërrmuar (crumbed), i grimcuar (granular). (various references) | |
Arabic | مفتن, مهروس (mashed), مسحوق (powder, shrivelled). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | съкрушен (broken hearted, heartbroken, laden), смачкан (creased, creasy), разбит (broke, broken), очукан (battered, careworn, knockedabout, weather-worn), изстискан. (various references) | |
Chinese | 击碎 (Crushing). (various references) | |
Czech | zmaèkaný (creased, crinkly, crumpled, wrinkled). (various references) | |
Danish | contusus (smashed), stoedt (smashed). (various references) | |
Dutch | vergruisd (smashed), verbrijzeld (smashed), samengedrukt (compressed). (various references) | |
Finnish | rypistynyt (crumpled). (various references) | |
French | broyé. (various references) | |
German | zerdrückte, gedrängt (concentrated, concise, dense, packed, terse, thick, thronged, thrusted), erdrückte. (various references) | |
Greek | συσπειρωμένο ελατήριο, που έχει συνθλιβεί. (various references) | |
Hebrew | מעוך (squeezed, stuck), מחוץ (wounded), מרוסק (mashed, minced), מרוסס (grated, splintered, sprayed), תחוח (crumbled), שחוק (derision, ground, laughter, mockery, pounded, ragged, tacky, tattered, worn), פרוך (broken, crushing), פרוץ (broken through, cracked, licentious, reckless, unrestrained), כתוש (crushing, ground, pounded, pounding), דך (lowly, oppressed, poor, wretched), רצוץ (breaking, broken, crushing, dejected, depressed, exhausted, oppressed, oppression). (various references) | |
Hungarian | szétzúzott (cloven, disruptive). (various references) | |
Indonesian | tergilas (be run over, pulverished), tergelek (knocked down, run over). (various references) | |
Irish | brúite. (various references) | |
Italian | compressa (compress, envelope, tablet). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 衰え果てる (to be utterly spent or crushed), 粉米 (crushed rice, tiny pieces of rice), 挫ける (to be broken, to be crushed, to be sprained), 敗滅 (be scattered or crushed in defeat), 割り栗石 (crushed rock, macadam), 小米 (crushed rice, tiny pieces of rice), 下敷き (crushed beneath, desk pad, mat, pinned under, something lying underneath), 下敷 (crushed beneath, desk pad, mat, pinned under, something lying underneath). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | おとろえはてる (to be utterly spent or crushed), したじき (crushed beneath, desk pad, mat, pinned under, something lying underneath), くじける (to be broken, to be crushed, to be sprained), こごめ (crushed rice, tiny pieces of rice), わりぐりいし (crushed rock, macadam), はいめつ (be scattered or crushed in defeat, decay, ruination). (various references) | |
Korean | 분쇄하는 (Comminuted, pulverised, Pulverized, smashed). (various references) | |
Manx | smoashit (shattered, smashed), jingit (crammed, cramped, crowded, jammed, packed, pressed, squat, squeezed, thronged, wedged), creujit (ruined). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | ushedcray.(various references) | |
Portuguese | comprimida. (various references) | |
Romanian | zdrobit (exhausted). (various references) | |
Russian | смятый (creasy, wrinkled), раздробленный (atomistic, reduced, split), раздавленный, подавленный (dejected, depressed, despondent, hagridden, heavyhearted, heavy-laden, laden, low-spirited), измельченный (ground), дробить дробленый. (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | zgnječen, skrhan. (various references) | |
Spanish | contuso (smashed), comprimido (compacted, compressed, packed, tablet, tabloid, zipped), aplastado (crushing, pinch, rolling, stempress). (various references) | |
Swedish | tillintetgjord, krossad (in tatters). (various references) | |
Turkish | sıkılmış (bored), ezilmiş, ezik (bruise, meek, sheepish, squashed), öğütülmüş (granulated, ground, milled). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | conlisae, conlisi. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Language | Date | Source | Matthew Chapter 21, Verse 44 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | Kai o peswn epi ton liqon touton sunqlasqhsetai ef on d an pesh likmhsei auton |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | Et qui ceciderit super lapidem istum confringetur super quem vero ceciderit conteret eum |
| Old English | 990 | West Saxon | Ænd se þe falð uppe þisne stan. hebeoð to-brised. & he to-bryseð þane þe heon-uppen falð. |
| Middle English | 1395 | Wyclif | And he that schal falle on this stoon, schal be brokun; but on whom it schal falle, it schal al tobrise hym. |
| Renaissance English | 1526 | Tyndale | And whosoever shall fall on this stone he shalbe broken but on whosoever it shall fall vpon it will grynde him to powder. |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. |
| Victorian English | 1833 | Webster | And whoever shall fall on this stone, shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | Any man falling on this stone will be broken, but he on whom it comes down will be crushed to dust. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Matthew Chapter 21, Verse 44 |
| Cebuano | Ug ang mahulog sa ibabaw niining batoha, madugta siya; apan ang mapusdakan niining batoha, mapulpog siya." |
| Danish | Og den, som falder på denne Sten, skal slå sig sønder; men hvem den falder på, ham skal den knuse." |
| Dutch | En wie op dezen steen valt, die zal verpletterd worden; en op wien hij valt, dien zal hij vermorzelen. |
| Finnish | Ja joka tähän kiveen kaatuu, se ruhjoutuu, mutta jonka päälle se kaatuu, sen se murskaa." |
| French | Celui qui tombera sur cette pierre s`y brisera, et celui sur qui elle tombera sera écrasé. |
| German | Und wer auf diesen Stein fällt, der wird zerschellen; auf wen aber er fällt, den wird er zermalmen. |
| Hungarian | És a ki e kõre esik, szétzúzatik; a kire pedig ez esik reá, szétmorzsolja azt. |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | Maka barangsiapa yang jatuh di atas batu itu, ia akan remuk; tetapi orang yang ditimpa oleh batu itu, hancurlah ia kelak." |
| Italian | Chi cadrà sopra questa pietra sarà sfracellato; e qualora essa cada su qualcuno, lo stritolerà». |
| Latvian | Un kas uz ðo akmeni kritîs, tas saðíîdîs; un uz ko tas kritîs, to tas satrieks. |
| Manx Gaelic | As quoi-erbee huittys er y chlagh shen bee eh er ny vroo: agh er quoi-erbee huittys y chlagh shen, nee ee cha meen as joan jeh. |
| Maori | Ko te tangata e hinga ki runga ki tenei kohatu, na mongamonga ana ia: ki te taka ia taua kohatu ki runga ki tetahi, na ngotangota noa ia me he puehu. |
| Norwegian | Og den som faller på denne sten, han skal knuses, men den som den faller på, ham skal den smuldre til støv. |
| Rumanian | Cine va cqdea peste piatra aceasta, va fi zdrobit de ea; iar pe acela peste care va cqdea ea, kl va spulbera.`` |
| Russian | Й ФПФ, ЛФП ХРБДЕФ ОБ ЬФПФ ЛБНЕОШ, ТБЪПВШЕФУС, Б ОБ ЛПЗП ПО ХРБДЕФ, ФПЗП ТБЪДБЧЙФ. |
| Shuar | Tura shuar nu kayan tukumainia nuka kupintrartatui. Tura nu kaya shuarnum iniarka tsai tsai awajsattawai auka" Tímiayi Jesus. |
| Spanish | El que caiga sobre esta piedra será quebrantado, y desmenuzará a cualquiera sobre quien ella caiga. |
| Swahili | missing |
| Swedish | * |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Misspellings | |
"Crushed" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Coulshed, Crisham, croshaw, crosned, Curphey, Krusche. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "crushed" (pronounced kru"sht) |
| 4 | -r u" sh t | brushed, rushed. |
| 3 | -u" sh t | blushed, flushed, gushed, hushed. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "c-d-e-h-r-s-u" | |
-1 letter: crudes, cursed, ruched, ruches, rushed. | |
-2 letters: crude, cruds, cruse, crush, curds, cured, cures, curse, druse, duces, dures, ecrus, herds, hurds, ruche, sherd, shred, sucre, usher. | |
-3 letters: crud, crus, cuds, cued, cues, curd, cure, curs, duce, dues, dure, ecru, ecus, edhs, herd, hers, hued, hues, recs, reds, resh, rhus, rude, rued, rues, ruse, rush. | |
| Words containing the letters "c-d-e-h-r-s-u" | |
+1 letter: chorused, chudders. | |
+2 letters: archdukes, chorussed, purchased, scheduler, scrunched. | |
+3 letters: chondrules, debauchers, echiuroids, huckstered, reschedule, schedulers, scouthered, sepulchred, surcharged. | |
+4 letters: archduchess, archduchies, preschedule, repurchased, rescheduled, reschedules, sepulchered. | |
+5 letters: archdukedoms, debaucheries, orchidaceous, outstretched, photoreduces, prepurchased, prescheduled, preschedules, pulchritudes, rescheduling, supercharged, thunderclaps, unchristened, undercharges, underclothes, undischarged, urochordates. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Images: Digital Art | 9. Sounds 10. Quotations: Familiar 11. Quotations: Fiction 12. Quotations: Non-fiction | 13. Quotations: Speeches 14. Usage Frequency 15. Expressions 16. Expressions: Internet | 17. Translations: Modern 18. Translations: Ancient 19. Bible Trace 20. Derivations | 21. Rhymes 22. Anagrams 23. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
