Phrase guide

bed of nails

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A piece of wood with nails pointing out of it, on which a performer lies as a circus trick.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A device for testing a chip, consisting of an array of spring-loaded pins.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: business, electrical-engineering, electricity, electromagnetism, electronics, energy, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Hungarian: szöges ágy — a piece of wood with nails pointing out of it, on which a performer lies as a circus trick
  • Hungarian: fakírágy — a piece of wood with nails pointing out of it, on which a performer lies as a circus trick
  • Portuguese: cama de pregos — a piece of wood with nails pointing out of it, on which a performer lies as a circus trick
  • Swedish: spikmatta — a piece of wood with nails pointing out of it, on which a performer lies as a circus trick