witches' stone

English

Witches' stones (ledges) over a thatched roof.

A modern house (which was never thatched) incorporating witches' stones.

Noun

witches' stone (plural witches' stones)

1. A small ledge jutting out of the chimney of a house, chiefly in Jersey or Guernsey, originally to stop rain seeping under the joins in a thatched roof, and later reinterpreted in folklore as a place for witches to rest.
   • For quotations using this term, see Citations:witches' stone.
2. An adder stone, a stone with a (natural) hole in it.

   Synonym: witch stone

   • For quotations using this term, see Citations:witches' stone.
3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see witch,‎ stone.