2x4 vs 4x2

[desertwomble]

Okay, here's a weird one!

The common length of wood that's 2 inches by 4 inches (or 4 inches by 2 inches).

Do we call it two-by-four, or four-by-two?

I've googled it, but the results are ambiguous. So what do you folks say?

DW

[ozmosis7]

Having done some construction we always referred to them as 2x4's

[fnord33]

I've only heard then referred to as 2X4.

[desertwomble]

Thanks for that, guys. Here's the paragraph it'll be used in.

"Mindy's mind raced, sifting through scenarios of vengeance against the elderly educator – a staged mugging, a house fire, a crack to the back of the skull with a length of two-by-four..."

DW

[Ed]

It depends whether you're British or American, Womble -- Brits say four by two.

[desertwomble]

Hmmmmmmmm! I thought that might be what the Google results were getting at. Okay, since the piece I'm currently working on is for a British based competition, I'll use the British version for now.

"Mindy's mind raced, sifting through scenarios of vengeance against the elderly educator – a staged mugging, a house fire, a crack to the back of the skull with a length of four-by-two..." (British Version)


"Mindy's mind raced, sifting through scenarios of vengeance against the elderly educator – a staged mugging, a house fire, a crack to the back of the skull with a length of two-by-four..." (American Version)

Who would have thought wood / timber / lumber could be so interesting?

DW

[desertwomble]

Reminds me a bit of when I was in Zimbabwe where they say, 'every Tom, Harry and Dick' instead of 'every Tom, Dick and Harry'.

DW

[Caz]

Should be metric really, but... to the back of the skull with a lump of 100mm by 50mm... sucks. Whoops, now I'm in trouble with the EU's metric police.

[LashSlash]

...length of...?

in the english i speak we call it a two- by-four, period....... i guess its cus we dont waste words......


eg: -- the best way to puncture a tyre is with a nail driven through a two-by-four