skidway

American  

[skid-wey] / ˈskɪdˌweɪ /

noun

1. a road or path formed of logs, planks, etc., for sliding objects.

2. a platform, usually inclined, for piling logs to be sawed or to be loaded onto a vehicle.

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skidway British  

/ ˈskɪdˌweɪ /

noun

1. a platform on which logs ready for sawing are piled

2. a track made of logs for rolling objects along

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Etymology

Origin of skidway

An Americanism dating back to 1875–80; skid + way ¹

Example Sentences

Drawn up the gaping skidway by steel cables thrumming on giant steam-driven winches, the whale reached the broad afterdeck.

From Time Magazine Archive

A heavy pair of tongs, like ice-tongs, is attached to one end, and the log is snaked out by horses to the skidway.

From Handwork in Wood by Noyes, William

Chapter IX—Lumberjacks Seek Revenge 91 "The skidway was tampered with!"

From Grace Harlowe's Overland Riders in the Great North Woods by Flower, Jessie Graham [pseud.]

By the skidway in the Puget Sound region is meant a corduroy road.

From Handwork in Wood by Noyes, William

Without so much as a glance at the man in the snow, Bill Carmody turned on his heel and started back down the skidway.

From The Promise A Tale of the Great Northwest by Hendryx, James B. (James Beardsley)