two by four

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

Synonym of Tijuana Bible (“kind of pornographic comic book”).

Register: slang

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

[…] the movie plot of Superman II, in which Superman and Lois Lane work up to a sexual liaison (which was seen before 1960 only in “two by fours” and similar pornographic comic strips.).

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “two by four” mean?

Synonym of Tijuana Bible (“kind of pornographic comic book”).

Is “two by four” formal or informal?

two by four is generally slang.