"two by four" meaning in All languages combined

See two by four on Wiktionary

Noun [English]

Forms: two by fours [plural], two-by-four [alternative]
Head templates: {{en-noun}} two by four (plural two by fours)
  1. (chiefly Canada, US) A length of sawn wood of cross section approximately 2 inches by 4 inches, most often employed as structural framing lumber (dimensional lumber). Tags: Canada, US Categories (topical): Buildings, Carpentry Translations (A length of sawn wood 2 inches by 4 inches): бичме́ (bičmé) (Bulgarian), kakkosnelonen (Finnish)
    Sense id: en-two_by_four-en-noun-eMM~JQuU Disambiguation of Buildings: 64 16 20 Disambiguation of Carpentry: 58 9 33 Categories (other): American English, Canadian English, English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Bulgarian translations, Terms with Finnish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 59 13 28 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 68 6 26 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 67 6 27 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 74 6 20 Disambiguation of Terms with Bulgarian translations: 39 19 42 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 39 19 42 Disambiguation of 'A length of sawn wood 2 inches by 4 inches': 93 1 6
  2. (chiefly Canada, US, dated) A small, modest building. Tags: Canada, US, dated
    Sense id: en-two_by_four-en-noun-hj1HrZ8Z Categories (other): American English, Canadian English, Terms with Bulgarian translations, Terms with Finnish translations Disambiguation of Terms with Bulgarian translations: 39 19 42 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 39 19 42
  3. (slang) Synonym of Tijuana Bible (“kind of pornographic comic book”) Tags: slang Synonyms: Tijuana Bible [synonym, synonym-of]
    Sense id: en-two_by_four-en-noun-rV90TDr3 Categories (other): Terms with Bulgarian translations, Terms with Finnish translations Disambiguation of Terms with Bulgarian translations: 39 19 42 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 39 19 42
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: clue-by-four Related terms: four by two

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "clue-by-four"
    }
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "two by fours",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "two-by-four",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "two by four (plural two by fours)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "four by two"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Canadian English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "59 13 28",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "68 6 26",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "67 6 27",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "74 6 20",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "39 19 42",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "39 19 42",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "64 16 20",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Buildings",
          "orig": "en:Buildings",
          "parents": [
            "Buildings and structures",
            "Architecture",
            "Applied sciences",
            "Art",
            "Sciences",
            "Culture",
            "All topics",
            "Society",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "58 9 33",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Carpentry",
          "orig": "en:Carpentry",
          "parents": [
            "Construction",
            "Woodworking",
            "Architecture",
            "Engineering",
            "Crafts",
            "Applied sciences",
            "Art",
            "Technology",
            "Society",
            "Sciences",
            "Culture",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1959, “Mary Don't You Weep”, performed by Nat King Cole:",
          "text": "Well, Moses stood on the Red Sea shore, And smote the water with a two by four",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "(Can we date this quote?), “Linin' Track”, performed by Lead Belly:",
          "text": "Moses stood on the Red Sea shore, smotin' that water with a two by four",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A length of sawn wood of cross section approximately 2 inches by 4 inches, most often employed as structural framing lumber (dimensional lumber)."
      ],
      "id": "en-two_by_four-en-noun-eMM~JQuU",
      "links": [
        [
          "Canada",
          "Canada"
        ],
        [
          "US",
          "American English"
        ],
        [
          "sawn",
          "sawn"
        ],
        [
          "wood",
          "wood"
        ],
        [
          "cross section",
          "cross section"
        ],
        [
          "inches",
          "inches"
        ],
        [
          "dimensional lumber",
          "dimensional lumber"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly Canada, US) A length of sawn wood of cross section approximately 2 inches by 4 inches, most often employed as structural framing lumber (dimensional lumber)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Canada",
        "US"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "93 1 6",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "bičmé",
          "sense": "A length of sawn wood 2 inches by 4 inches",
          "word": "бичме́"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "93 1 6",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "A length of sawn wood 2 inches by 4 inches",
          "word": "kakkosnelonen"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Canadian English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "39 19 42",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "39 19 42",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1930, George, Ira Gershwin, “But Not for Me”:",
          "text": "He'll plan a two by four / But not for me.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A small, modest building."
      ],
      "id": "en-two_by_four-en-noun-hj1HrZ8Z",
      "links": [
        [
          "Canada",
          "Canada"
        ],
        [
          "US",
          "American English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly Canada, US, dated) A small, modest building."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Canada",
        "US",
        "dated"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "39 19 42",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "39 19 42",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2008, Barry Schwartz, Abraham Lincoln in the Post-Heroic Era, page 354:",
          "text": "[…] the movie plot of Superman II, in which Superman and Lois Lane work up to a sexual liaison (which was seen before 1960 only in “two by fours” and similar pornographic comic strips.).",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Synonym of Tijuana Bible (“kind of pornographic comic book”)"
      ],
      "id": "en-two_by_four-en-noun-rV90TDr3",
      "links": [
        [
          "Tijuana Bible",
          "Tijuana Bible#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(slang) Synonym of Tijuana Bible (“kind of pornographic comic book”)"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "extra": "kind of pornographic comic book",
          "tags": [
            "synonym",
            "synonym-of"
          ],
          "word": "Tijuana Bible"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Lumber"
  ],
  "word": "two by four"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "en:Buildings",
    "en:Carpentry"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "clue-by-four"
    }
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "two by fours",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "two-by-four",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "two by four (plural two by fours)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "four by two"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "Canadian English",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Requests for date"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1959, “Mary Don't You Weep”, performed by Nat King Cole:",
          "text": "Well, Moses stood on the Red Sea shore, And smote the water with a two by four",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "(Can we date this quote?), “Linin' Track”, performed by Lead Belly:",
          "text": "Moses stood on the Red Sea shore, smotin' that water with a two by four",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A length of sawn wood of cross section approximately 2 inches by 4 inches, most often employed as structural framing lumber (dimensional lumber)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Canada",
          "Canada"
        ],
        [
          "US",
          "American English"
        ],
        [
          "sawn",
          "sawn"
        ],
        [
          "wood",
          "wood"
        ],
        [
          "cross section",
          "cross section"
        ],
        [
          "inches",
          "inches"
        ],
        [
          "dimensional lumber",
          "dimensional lumber"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly Canada, US) A length of sawn wood of cross section approximately 2 inches by 4 inches, most often employed as structural framing lumber (dimensional lumber)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Canada",
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "Canadian English",
        "English dated terms",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1930, George, Ira Gershwin, “But Not for Me”:",
          "text": "He'll plan a two by four / But not for me.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A small, modest building."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Canada",
          "Canada"
        ],
        [
          "US",
          "American English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly Canada, US, dated) A small, modest building."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Canada",
        "US",
        "dated"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English slang",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2008, Barry Schwartz, Abraham Lincoln in the Post-Heroic Era, page 354:",
          "text": "[…] the movie plot of Superman II, in which Superman and Lois Lane work up to a sexual liaison (which was seen before 1960 only in “two by fours” and similar pornographic comic strips.).",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Synonym of Tijuana Bible (“kind of pornographic comic book”)"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Tijuana Bible",
          "Tijuana Bible#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(slang) Synonym of Tijuana Bible (“kind of pornographic comic book”)"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "extra": "kind of pornographic comic book",
          "tags": [
            "synonym",
            "synonym-of"
          ],
          "word": "Tijuana Bible"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "bičmé",
      "sense": "A length of sawn wood 2 inches by 4 inches",
      "word": "бичме́"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "A length of sawn wood 2 inches by 4 inches",
      "word": "kakkosnelonen"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Lumber"
  ],
  "word": "two by four"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-03-23 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-03-21 using wiktextract (fef8596 and 633533e). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.