block and tackle

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun An apparatus of pulley blocks and ropes or cables used for hauling and hoisting heavy objects.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun A system of two or more pulleys (the tackles) each enclosed by a housing (the block) with a rope or cable threaded between them, usually used to lift or pull heavy loads.
• noun euphemistic human male external genitalia

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun pulley blocks with associated rope or cable