woodshed

English

Etymology

From wood +‎ shed.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

woodshed (plural woodsheds)

1. An enclosed, roofed structure, often an outbuilding, used primarily to store firewood.
2. (informal) A place where punishments or reprimands are administered.
   • 1907 November 11, “Latin President’s Plot May Disarrange the Central American Peace Plans”, in New York Times:

     The State Department is incensed, and if this conference fails it will be the woodshed for three Central American presidents.

   • 2021 January 24, Donald G. McNeil Jr, “Fauci on What Working for Trump Was Really Like”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     Were you ever taken to the woodshed? Did anyone say, “Stop disagreeing with the president”?

Derived terms

• something nasty in the woodshed
• trip to the woodshed

 

Translations

enclosed structure for storing firewood

• Armenian: ցախատուն (hy) (cʻaxatun), ցախանոց (hy) (cʻaxanocʻ), փայտանոց (hy) (pʻaytanocʻ)
• Bulgarian: барака за дърва f (baraka za dǎrva)
• Catalan: cambreta f, llenyer m
• Estonian: puukuur
• Finnish: puuvaja (fi), liiteri (fi)
• French: bûcher (fr) m
• Galician: alboio (gl) m, combarro m
• German: Holzschuppen (de) m
• Italian: legnaia f
• Macedonian: др́варник m (dŕvarnik)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: vedskjul n

• Plautdietsch: Holtschenn f
• Polish: drewutnia (pl) f, drwalnia (pl) f, drwalka (pl) f
• Portuguese: depósito de madeira m
• Russian: лесополоса (ru) m (lesopolosa)
• Spanish: leñera f
• Swedish: vedbod (sv) c

Verb

woodshed (third-person singular simple present woodsheds, present participle woodshedding, simple past and past participle woodshedded)

1. (slang, music) To practice or rehearse using a musical instrument.
   • 1999 June, Al Stevens, “Jukebox: Covering the Basses”, in Dr. Dobb's Journal, volume 24, number 6, San Francisco, Calif.: Miller Freeman, Inc., →ISSN, page 115:

     Recently, I have taken up the double bass again, but because time and neglect erode ability, calluses turn soft, and muscle memory fades, I need to woodshed (practice) to get back into shape and build up my chops.

   • 2007 July 23, “A Free Life”, in Publishers Weekly:

     His latest novel sheds light on an émigré writer’s woodshedding period.

Related terms

• woodshedding

Anagrams

• how-de-dos, howdedos