In torture, carding involved scraping or tearing the victim's flesh with metal combs normally used for combing wool."Card". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2nd edition. 1989.

Combs usually had one or two rows of teeth, each a few inches in length. These are the "wool combs" used to prepare fiber (such as wool) for worsted-spun thread, not the more modern, short-toothed carders used to prepare wool for woolen spinning.

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