knee-high by the Fourth of July

English

WOTD – 4 July 2025

Etymology

Corn (maize) plants in the United States.

The terms knee-high and Fourth of July were probably chosen because they rhyme with each other.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌniːˈhaɪ baɪ ðə ˌfɔːθ‿əv d͡ʒʊˈlaɪ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌniˈhaɪ baɪ ðə ˌfɔɹθ‿əv d͡ʒəˈlaɪ/, /-d͡ʒu-/

• Audio (General American):

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• Rhymes: -aɪ

Proverb

knee-high by the Fourth of July

1. (US, agriculture) If a corn (maize) crop planted in spring has grown knee-high by the Fourth of July (Independence Day of the United States), a bountiful harvest is expected.

Translations

if a corn crop planted in spring has grown knee-high by the Fourth of July, a bountiful harvest is expected

• French: please add this translation if you can

Further reading

• maize on Wikipedia.Wikipedia