deadwood

From dead +‎ wood.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdɛd.wʊd/

deadwood (countable and uncountable, plural deadwoods)

1. Coarse woody debris.
2. People or things judged to be superfluous to an organization or project.
3. Money not realized by exiting a winning pump trade too early.
4. (bowling) Pins that have fallen and have not been cleared from the alley.
5. (nautical) Vertical planks between the keel and the sternpost that act as reinforcement.
6. (by extension) Structural material on a load-carrying vehicle that reduces the available cargo space.
   • 1808, The Southwestern Reporter (volume 42, page 1066)

     The defendant […] sustained the injuries at Swatzell's switch, by getting his arm caught between the deadwoods of two freight cars […]

7. (rummy) Cards in a hand that do not contribute to sets and which are usually counted as points against the player holding the hand.
8. (poker) Cards that have been discarded.

• (woody debris): deadfall