come out of the woodwork
To appear or emerge unexpectedly or inexplicably, frequently in large numbers or quantity.
He won the lottery last year and he has had old "friends" and distant relatives coming out of the woodwork ever since.
woodwork
/ˈwʊdˌwɝk/
noun 4verb 1
Collocations
8(noun.)
ADJ
exterior, interior | polished
VERB + WOODWORK
paint, treat, varnish | polish | strip | clean, wash
hit
The striker's powerful shot hit the woodwork and bounced back into play.
PREP
in the ~
Termites had damaged the woodwork in our old house, so we had to replace the window frames.
Definitions
noun
1
Something made from wood, especially cabinets and trim (e.g., baseboards, doorframes) made from millwork.
Some woodwork and the plaster ceiling medallions have been duplicated to match the originals.
2
Working with wood.
He does woodwork as a hobby.
The unthinking man assumes that if woodwork is to be taught, the best person to do it must be a carpenter
3
A place of concealment or obscurity.
out of the woodwork
Friends and relatives were coming out of the woodwork to celebrate his good fortune.
4
The frame of the goal, i.e. the goalpost or crossbar.
That goal was so close, it went in off the woodwork.
Carroll thought he had equalised with his header against the bar with eight minutes left. Liverpool claimed the ball had cross the line and Chelsea were grateful for a miraculous intervention from Cech to turn his effort on to the woodwork.
verb
1
To go completely stealth as a transgender person. (From the idea of fading or blending into the woodwork.)
"Instead of 'woodworking,' or disappearing into the mainstream — as we are capable of and qualified to do — we have chosen not to do so." Outside of the transsexual community, other changes were taking place that made it possible for[…]
Maybe — and this was essential for political activism — you didn't have to "woodwork" but could be transgendered for all to see. By the mid '90s the Internet had arrived — and spread these new ideas like wildfire.[…]
Thesaurus
Synonyms
noun — the craft of a carpenter: making things out of wood
- carpentry
- woodworking
Antonyms
Idioms & Phrases
blend into the woodwork
To become unnoticed and seem to disappear.
Example Bank
601
Some woodwork and the plaster ceiling medallions have been duplicated to match the originals.
Wiktionary02
He does woodwork as a hobby.
Wiktionary03
The unthinking man assumes that if woodwork is to be taught, the best person to do it must be a carpenter
Wiktionary04
"Instead of 'woodworking,' or disappearing into the mainstream — as we are capable of and qualified to do — we have chosen not to do so." Outside of the transsexual community, other changes were takin
Wiktionary05
Maybe — and this was essential for political activism — you didn't have to "woodwork" but could be transgendered for all to see. By the mid '90s the Internet had arrived — and spread these new ideas l
Wiktionary06
As soon as they realized the mayor was on his way down, his critics started coming out of the woodwork.
Tatoeba · #246152Usage Notes
i Register
In some senses, woodwork is marked as figuratively, dated. Watch for register when choosing this word.
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