snake-rail fence
- noun
- US
:
valla de serpiente
- The farm was surrounded by a beautiful snake-rail fence.
Examples
-
The snake-rail fence added historic charm to the countryside landscape.
-
Settlers built snake-rail fences because they required no nails and could be erected quickly.
-
The old farm was bordered by a traditional snake-rail fence that meandered through the fields.
-
Many snake-rail fences are found in rural America.
-
The farmer installed a new snake-rail fence to keep the cattle from wandering off the property.
-
The snake-rail fence helped define the boundaries of the garden, giving it a rustic charm.
-
We admired the snake-rail fence that zigzagged across the field, creating a beautiful landscape.
Synonyms
1
4.3
A fence made of long wooden rails laid in a zigzag to keep animals in
1
4.8
A fence made from split logs stacked horizontally in a zigzag
A low wooden rail barrier that forms a zigzag pattern to mark or enclose land
A wooden fence made of rails laid in a zigzag pattern without posts
A fence made of wooden rails laid in a zigzag pattern
How Sturdy
20
2.7
5
7.9
43
3.4
- US
- US
1
4.3
23
2.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
snake-rail + fence
The compound is a literal descriptive formation: 'snake' suggests a sinuous, zigzag shape combined with 'rail' and 'fence' to indicate a fence made from rails arranged in a snake‑like pattern. This is not idiomatic but compositional, so a B1 learner who knows 'snake', 'rail' and 'fence' can reasonably infer the meaning.
Etymology
The snake-rail fence comes from the way the fence is built: long wooden rails are set in a zigzag line like a snake, so the pieces lean on each other and no nails are needed. That's why the name now means a fence of joined rails used to mark 'boundaries' or to 'hold' animals.