woodpile

Everyday

1. A woodpile is a neat heap or stack of logs or chopped wood, usually kept outside for burning in a fire or stove. tree →
2. In older sayings, a hidden problem is sometimes called something hiding in the woodpile. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life a woodpile stands next to a house, cabin or campsite and holds firewood for a fireplace, wood stove or campfire. In nature lessons it is a home for insects, spiders, mice, lizards and snakes, so children learn to wear gloves and look before reaching in. Phrases: stack the woodpile, a pile of wood, from the woodpile.

Examples

• Dad stacked the logs on the woodpile behind the shed. tree →
• Grandma asked me to fetch three logs from the woodpile. tree →
• A little mouse ran out from under the woodpile. tree →
• Wear gloves when you take wood from the woodpile because spiders hide there. tree →
• The woodpile was covered with a tarp to keep it dry. tree →
• By the end of winter the woodpile was almost gone. tree →
• We counted 40 logs in the woodpile and burned 6 a day. tree →
• Snakes sometimes sleep in a warm woodpile in Australia, so be careful. tree →
• His woodpile was not yet kindled. tree →

Note

Countable noun: one woodpile, two woodpiles. It is a compound of wood + pile, written as one word. Safety: woodpiles can hide snakes, spiders and wasps; never climb on one because logs can roll and fall. A woodpile is not the same as a bonfire, which is wood that is burning.