The Only Use of
scythe
in
The Grapes of Wrath
- A man may stand to use a scythe, a plow, a pitchfork; but he must crawl like a bug between the rows of lettuce, he must bend his back and pull his long bag between the cotton rows, he must go on his knees like a penitent across a cauliflower patch.†
Chpt 19
Definitions:
-
(1)
(scythe) a tool for cutting grass that has a curved blade and a long handle that is held with both hands
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much more rarely, scythe can be used as a verb to reference the cutting of weeds or tall grasses (such as hay or wheat) with a scythe. Metaphorically, the verb form can be used to describe cutting through anything as in "scythed through the problems in less than a week."