gunnysack

American  

[guhn-ee-sak] / ˈgʌn iˌsæk /

noun

1. a sack made of gunny or burlap.

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Regionalisms

Crocus sack, croker sack, grass sack, and towsack are widely used in Southern U.S. English as synonyms for gunnysack; crocus sack is used especially in the South Atlantic States and croker sack in the Gulf States, while grass sack and towsack are used especially in the South Midland United States. Barley sack is used in the Southwest, especially in California.

Etymology

Origin of gunnysack

First recorded in 1860–65; gunny + sack ¹

Example Sentences

In my case, it didn’t settle gently like a leaf, it thudded down like a gunnysack of organ meat.

From Washington Post

He grabbed a gunnysack filled with dirt and stepped into the empty road.

From Los Angeles Times

Firewood was stacked in the corner above the red buckets where they kept their rations of rice, having learned the hard way that rats eat through the gunnysacks.

From Los Angeles Times

Griffin paid for the prized orca out of a gunnysack filled with $8,000 in loose change he had gathered from friends and businesses on the Seattle waterfront.

From Seattle Times

Three men on the boat were seen dumping overboard three heavy gunnysacks.

From Washington Times