Meaning
The decorative wooden trim of carved and cut-out patterns that ornaments old Jamaican houses — the lacy 'gingerbread' fringes along the eaves, the verandah brackets, the bargeboards, and the pierced panels above doors and windows. Made by skilled carpenters with a fret saw, this fretwork is the glory of Jamaica's old timber architecture, cool and airy as well as beautiful, and a well-kept fretworked verandah is a proud sight in an old town or great house.
Examples
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Di ole house have beautiful fretwork.
The old house has beautiful fretwork.
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Di carpenter cut di fretwork wid a fret saw.
The carpenter cut the fretwork with a fret saw.
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Fretwork run all along di verandah.
Fretwork runs all along the verandah.
Origin
From English 'fretwork' (cut-out decorative woodwork); Jamaican 'gingerbread' house trim. See [[jalousie]], [[verandah]].
How it’s used
Decorative cut-out wooden trim on old Jamaican houses ('gingerbread'). See [[jalousie]], [[verandah]].