I. | ̷ ̷_bə| ̷ ̷ adjective
1. : measuring two units (as inches) by four
2. : small
from two-by-four enterprises set up in barns and kitchens … to the big industrial plants — New York Herald Tribune Book Review
: petty , cramped
narrow, tight, two-by-four lives — Manuel Komroff
II. noun
Etymology: two-by-four (I)
: a piece of lumber having finished dimensions of 1 5/8 by 3 5/8 inches