thorn bush, noun phrase

Origin:
EnglishShow more Special sense of general English.
doringboom.
1810 G. Barrington Acct of Voy. 273The poor man had a very narrow escape, by hiding himself in a thorn-bush.
1835 T.H. Bowker Journal.Considerable progress made towards the fort, it is made square with a kraal in the midle, and the whole surrounded by a hedge of thorn Bushes fifty Yards from the breast work.
1926 M. Nathan S. Afr. from Within 205From this part onwards to the Albany coast, the scenery is unattractive, and the prevailing vegetation is thorn-bush; but from Port-Alfred (Kowie) eastwards the vegetation is more abundant.
1941 C. Birkby Springbok Victory 7A desert as grim as the worst parts of the Kalahari and Bushmanland. Vast stretches of its yellow sands are covered with thornbush 20 feet high.
1956 D. Jacobson Dance in Sun 205A thorn-bush grew between the rocks and gave not only some concealment, but also threw a necessary shade where we lay.
1964 A. Rothmann Elephant Shrew 33There are miles and miles of bush, a dense, impenetrable mass of num-num, thorn bushes, ‘taaibos’, gnarled ghwarrie trees, ‘boerboon’ with its showy red flowers and flat pods and above all elephant’s food or ‘spekboom.’
1972 J. Packer Boomerang 21Everywhere, the thorn-bushes spread a drift of feathery yellow flowers pervading the brittle air of the veld with their soft sweet fragrance.
1978 Daily Dispatch 16 Aug. (Suppl.) 7Thorn bush (Ocacia [sic] Karoo) encroachment has become a nightmare and curse to most farmers in the Eastern Cape and Border.
1991 Weekend Post 5 Jan. 11The invading thorn bush (Acacia karoo) ‘took over’ vast areas of valuable farm land and became impenetrable if not checked.
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thorn, nounn.thorn-tree, nounn.
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