punji stick
Sharpened stake weapon
A punji stick is a sharpened bamboo stake concealed in a pit or camouflaged on the ground, designed to impale anyone who steps on it.
Associated especially with guerrilla warfare in Vietnam, where they were often smeared with excrement to cause infection.
The term extends to any similar improvised spike trap.
Hidden danger or drawback
- pitFruit's hard seed
- booby trapHidden device to harm
- snareDevice for catching prey
- camouflageConcealment through visual blending
hidden · concealment · bamboo · sharpened · stake · spikes · covered · disguised
Tall woody grass
- sharpenedMade more cutting
- stakeSharpened post or share
- spikeSharp rise or point
- hardenedMade tough or unfeeling
pointed · whittled · carved · angled · serrated · wooden · handmade · primitive
Southeast Asian coastal nation
- VietcongVietnamese communist insurgents
- guerrillaIrregular armed fighter
- ambushSurprise strike from concealment
- jungle warfareArmed conflict in dense forest
booby trap · trench · combat · infantry · asymmetric · insurgent · resistance · low-tech
Piercing through with stake
- punctureHole from penetration
- woundCoiled, or an injury
- tetanusMuscle-stiffening bacterial disease
- sepsisDangerous inflammatory infection response
infection · laceration · perforation · bleeding · gangrene · contaminated · poisoned · rusty
pitfall
Hidden danger or drawback
- pitFruit's hard seed
- booby trapHidden device to harm
- snareDevice for catching prey
camouflage · hidden · concealment · bamboo · sharpened · stake · spikes · covered · disguised · tripwire
bamboo
Tall woody grass
hardened · pointed · whittled · carved · angled · serrated · wooden · handmade · primitive · crafted
Vietnam
Southeast Asian coastal nation
- VietcongVietnamese communist insurgents
- guerrillaIrregular armed fighter
- ambushSurprise strike from concealment
jungle warfare · booby trap · trench · combat · infantry · asymmetric · insurgent · resistance · low-tech · improvised
impalement
Piercing through with stake
sepsis · infection · laceration · perforation · bleeding · gangrene · contaminated · poisoned · rusty · barbed
punji sticksmart bomb
Self-guided explosive weapon
cruise missile · drone strike · stealth bomber · fighter jet · tank
punji stickbody armor
Protective garment stopping bullets
flak jacket · protective gear · first aid kit · medic · medical supplies