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a sloping pit with a stake in the middle used as an obstacle to the enemy

a sloping pit with a stake in the middle used as an obstacle to the enemy

A pit in the form of an inverted cone or pyramid, constructed as an obstacle to the approach of an enemy, and having a pointed stake in the middle. The pits are called also trapholes.

A pit in the form of an inverted cone or pyramid, constructed as an obstacle to the approach of an enemy, and having a pointed stake in the middle. The pits are called also trapholes.

[Fr.] (Mil.) Obstacle formed to break the regular formation of troops ; a hole in the ground, shaped like an inverted cone six feet deep and the same in width, with a stake planted in the bottom.