rail fence

noun

1. a fence made of rails resting on crossed stakes or across one another at an angle.

Word History and Origins

Origin of rail fence¹

An Americanism dating back to 1640–50

Example Sentences

Plans for a "timber post and rail fence" have been submitted to North Yorkshire Council to consider.

From BBC

To get there, we drove past split rail fences, fields of black-eyed Susans and grassy fields alternated with acres of burned trees and black stumps.

From Seattle Times

While William’s rail fence cipher is easy to read, transposition ciphers can get much more complex.

From Literature

Film and Video Festival in January 1981 featured a single page with a photo of a group of 20 or so people leaning against a wooden rail fence.

From Los Angeles Times

Thomas Jefferson, the first president to live eight years in the building, installed a low, wooden and rail fence and later a stone wall, but the grounds were kept open to the public.

From New York Times