to break on the wheel
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To torture on a "wheel" by breaking the long bones with an iron bar. Cf. COUP DE GRACE.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to break on the wheel” mean?
To torture on a "wheel" by breaking the long bones with an iron bar. Cf. COUP DE GRACE.
Is “to break on the wheel” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.