woodshed
woodshed Lexical Profile
woodshed Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A small outbuilding or simple roofed shelter used for storing firewood and keeping it dry.
"We stacked two cords of split oak neatly inside the woodshed before the first autumn frost."
North American A secluded place, or a metaphorical state of isolation, used for administering private discipline, punishment, or a severe reprimand.
"After the disastrous quarterly earnings report, the board of directors took the chief executive to the woodshed."
• verb
North American To practice a musical instrument or rehearse a passage repeatedly and intensively in private until it is mastered.
"The saxophonist spent the entire weekend woodshedding the complex bebop solo before the studio recording session."
North American To reprimand, chastise, or punish someone severely in private.
"The party leadership woodshedded the junior senator for breaking ranks on the budget vote."
Word Origin & Etymology
A compound of 'wood' and 'shed' first recorded in the 18th century; the musical verb sense emerged in 1930s American jazz slang, referring to musicians retreating to a secluded shed so they could practice difficult passages privately without being overheard.