virginia fence
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
An irregular fence made of roughly laid logs. Benjamin Franklin describes a drunkard's uncertain progression as resem- bling a Virginia fence.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “virginia fence” mean?
An irregular fence made of roughly laid logs. Benjamin Franklin describes a drunkard's uncertain progression as resem- bling a Virginia fence.
Is “virginia fence” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.