I'm working on a book and transcribing something from a newspaper published in 1903, and the author has used the phrase "legs of wood":
"where with the help of a few sticks, a newspaper, and some dry legs of wood, we speedily had a bright fire blazing in the hearth."
It's tempting to say that they meant "logs" and it is a print error in the original, but I'd be prepared to believe that there is a sense of "legs" that is correct here, meaning pieces of wood of a particular type of size. Especially as "logs of wood" is a bit redundant.
Has anyone heard this usage before, or seen it written in anything you've read? The story is set in the fens, near Lincolnshire, if that helps.
I have searched several dictionaries, which get closest with "limb or branch" type definitions, but I am curious to see if anyone has encountered it specifically applied to pieces of wood (beyond prosthetic wooden legs or furniture legs).
Thanks in advance! I would also welcome subreddit suggestions where this may be appropriate.
edit: nicer line breaks
edit 2: I think the most plausible answer here is from u/ThePangolinofDread . Thanks everyone who contributed!