The crocodile shears was an instrument of torture used in late medieval Europe and typically reserved for regicides, viz., those who attempted (and, perhaps, succeeded) to assassinate the king. Made of iron, the shears were based upon the concept of pincers, but instead of standard jaws or blades ended in a pair of hemicylindrical blades that, when closed together, formed a long, narrow tube. The insides of the blades were generously lined with teeth or spikes. After being heated red-hot, the crocodile shears were applied to the penis, which, once exposed to sufficient tension, was torn from the prisoner's body; or, at the least, was severely mutilated.