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long-and-short work

American  
[lawng-uhn-shawrt, long-] / ˈlɔŋ ənˈʃɔrt, ˈlɒŋ- /

noun

Masonry.

  1. an arrangement of rectangular quoins or jambstones set alternately vertically and horizontally.

long-and-short work British  

noun

  1. architect the alternation in masonry of vertical and horizontal blocks of stone

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of long-and-short work

First recorded in 1860–65

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.