Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.
You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.
English to Italian translations [PRO] Art/Literary - History
English term or phrase:murder hole
Dovrebbe trattarsi di una sorta di botola o fossa all'interno di un castello dove venivano eseguiti omicidi. Non so. è una mia idea, magari mi sbaglio. Digitando murder hole in Google immagini si vede qualcosa ma non so se esiste un termine preciso per tradurre questa espressione. Grazie in anticipo.
Explanation: caditoia = piombatoio = st.milit., nelle antiche fortezze, apertura da cui si facevano cadere sugli assalitori liquidi bollenti, sassi o proiettili infiammati http://www.demauroparavia.it/17003
http://www.forcese.it/f-arte.htm http://www.ongvirtualstore.it/venezia/vene7.asp
A murder-hole is a hole in the ceiling of a gateway or passageway in a fortification through which the defenders can fire, throw or pour dangerous or noxious substances at attackers. As a result, the defenders would be able to rain rocks, arrows, boiling water, heated sand and other substances down on the attackers heads. There is little evidence for the widely held belief that boiling oil and molten lead was used for this purpose.
Similar holes, called machicolations, were often located in the curtain walls of castles and city walls. The parapet would project over corbels so that holes would be located over the exterior face of the wall, and arrows could be shot at, rocks dropped on, or boiling water poured over, any attackers near the wall.
(Moderatore) Rimossi due interventi. Questo spazio non è adibito a fornire risposte. Ved. regole KudoZ. Grazie.
18:36 May 28, 2006
Automatic update in 00:
Answers
20 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +5
caditoia / piombatoio
Explanation: caditoia = piombatoio = st.milit., nelle antiche fortezze, apertura da cui si facevano cadere sugli assalitori liquidi bollenti, sassi o proiettili infiammati http://www.demauroparavia.it/17003
http://www.forcese.it/f-arte.htm http://www.ongvirtualstore.it/venezia/vene7.asp
A murder-hole is a hole in the ceiling of a gateway or passageway in a fortification through which the defenders can fire, throw or pour dangerous or noxious substances at attackers. As a result, the defenders would be able to rain rocks, arrows, boiling water, heated sand and other substances down on the attackers heads. There is little evidence for the widely held belief that boiling oil and molten lead was used for this purpose.
Similar holes, called machicolations, were often located in the curtain walls of castles and city walls. The parapet would project over corbels so that holes would be located over the exterior face of the wall, and arrows could be shot at, rocks dropped on, or boiling water poured over, any attackers near the wall.
Daniela Zambrini Italy Local time: 20:43 Meets criteria Native speaker of: English, Italian PRO pts in category: 12
Grading comment
Grazie Daniela!
Notes to answerer
Asker: Nel testo che sto traducendo c'è anche la parola "machicolation", che ho tradotto con "caditoia". Se, a quanto pare, i due termini sono quasi sinonimi, potrei lasciar perdere uno dei due.
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +5