water-furrow, noun

Origin:
South African Dutch, EnglishShow more Probably translation of South African Dutch watervoor, although water-furrow has been used in English elsewhere, meaning a drainage furrow.
sloot sense 1.
1832 Graham’s Town Jrnl 20 July 116The many thousand yards of water furrows, many of which are cut through huge solid rocks.
1849 J.D. Lewins Diary. 5 Oct.Fence at waterfurrow down.
1862 A Lady Life at Cape (1963) 84The streets are..kept cool and clean by water-furrows, full of clear sparkling water from the river.
1884 E.V.C. Promised Land 33From this river numerous and quickly running streams are led through the town, each street having its water furrow, or furrows, as the case may be, running along one or both sides of it.
1908 M.C. Bruce New Tvl 2Charming little towns they look, with their..streets bordered by water-furrows and trees.
1921 H.J. Mandelbrote tr. of O.F. Mentzel’s Descr. of Cape of G.H. I. 135Between the big plain..and the houses..there is a water furrow lined with masonry and provided with several sluices.
1940 V. Pohl Bushveld Adventures 31Dinnaar had reached the water furrow, but instead of clearing it at a bound.., he came to a sudden stop.
1955 L.G. Green Karoo 85‘When I was a boy the water furrows were much wider and deeper,’ Muller recalled.
1969 F. Goldie River of Gold 11The water furrows on either side of the street..were often frozen in the morning.
1976 V. Rosenberg Sunflower 13The dirt streets were flanked by water furrows.
1993 Weekend Post 14 Aug. (Leisure) 4Wide-open gravel streets with water-furrows flanking them..carry the..city-dweller back to a different era.
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18321993