English · Idiom Historical

wooden walls

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

Ships of war. Before the advent of ironclads England's defence literally was "wooden walls.

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.

Topics: House & home Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “wooden walls” mean?

Ships of war. Before the advent of ironclads England's defence literally was "wooden walls.

Is “wooden walls” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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