Meaning of two by four | Babel Free

Definitions

1. 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).
   Canada, US
2. A small, modest building.
   Canada, US, dated
3. Synonym of Tijuana Bible (“kind of pornographic comic book”).
   slang

Equivalents

Examples

“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.).”

CEFR level