Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

two by four

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.40 in modern English

Syllables: two by -four
IPA

20

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A length of sawn wood of cross section nominally 2 inches by 4 inches (actual dimensions 1½ × 3½ in modern use), most often employed as structural framing lumber (dimensional lumber).

Canadian usage; American usage

noun

A small, modest building.

Canadian usage; American usage; Dated

noun

Synonym of Tijuana Bible (“kind of pornographic comic book”).

Slang

Example Sentences

"Well, Moses stood on the Red Sea shore, And smote the water with a two by four"
"Moses stood on the Red Sea shore, smotin' that water with a two by four"
"He'll plan a two by four / But not for me."
"[…] 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.)."

Usage

Inflected Forms

two by fours (plural) two-by-four (alternative)

Phrases

clue-by-four four by two

Frequently Paired Words

four by two

Synonyms

Tijuana Bible

Questions

What does two by four mean?: A length of sawn wood of cross section nominally 2 inches by 4 inches (actual dimensions 1½ × 3½ in modern use), most often employed as structural framing lumber (dimensional lumber).

How to pronounce two by four

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