noun
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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A connection was made to the stand pipe each time the portcullis end gates were raised.
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Another one rose, like a portcullis .
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At each end of the tanks are portcullis gates, which are opened and closed by hydraulic rams.
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Inside there was a portcullis of some dark metal.
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The bridge was not up, the portcullis raised and the guard in the gatehouse evidently keeping warm before a fire therein.
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The parliamentary portcullis is featured above his head.
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There were moments when it felt like a portcullis downward-slammed between herself and the human community.
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This is meant to convey a sense of security and privacy: the drawbridge is pulled up and the portcullis is dropped.