# What is a 'lean to'? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 15, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lean-to/219116 "2003-12-15T14:09:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![quicken78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/919ad9/32.png) [@quicken78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quicken78)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lean-to/219116/1 "2003-12-15T14:09:16Z")
Completely lost. > **[The Times & The Sunday Times](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/)** > > News and opinion from The Times & The Sunday Times "After 25 minutes, one minute before Saddam’s life as a fugitive was to end, the forces came to the mud hut, situated within a small, walled compound that also contained a metal lean-to. " This is on the UK Times website. I thought it was an American term. What exactly is a ‘lean to’? I am thinking that it is a piece of sheet metal that leans up against a wall?! Forgive my stupidity as I feel as though I should know this. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Duality](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.duality/32/4098_2.png) [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lean-to/219116/2 "2003-12-15T14:15:01Z")
Against a wall or other support, yes. ---
**Author:** ![brainchild876](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@brainchild876](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainchild876)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lean-to/219116/3 "2003-12-15T14:18:23Z")
As I understand it a lean-to is a 3 walled stucture with a roof on top. So it ends up having one side completely open. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lean-to/219116/4 "2003-12-15T14:24:05Z")
Nope, for it to be a lean-to it merely has to be constructed against another building or wall - it can be completely enclosed, or open. [Lean-to](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=lean-to). ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lean-to/219116/5 "2003-12-15T14:47:01Z")
Kind of like a carport, but not as sturdy. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lean-to/219116/6 "2003-12-15T14:54:45Z")
> [@](#): > > **This is on the UK Times website. I thought it was an American term. What exactly is a ‘lean to’? I am thinking that it is a piece of sheet metal that leans up against a wall?!** Any rough shelter were the roof has one slope. So a sheet of wood or metal leaned against anything, in the outback a tree. I had always assumed it was an Aussie phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lean-to/219116/7 "2003-12-15T15:15:22Z")
What makes a lean-to and lean-to is that it is a rudimentary structure that is dependant on another for support. It literally leans against the stronger structure and would not stand on its own. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lean-to/219116/8 "2003-12-15T15:19:23Z")
Not always. A lot of hiking trails have lean-tos that are basically a roof with one end on the ground and the other held up by poles. No other structure is involved. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lean-to/219116/9 "2003-12-15T15:58:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RealityChuck \* > Not always. A lot of hiking trails have lean-tos that are basically a roof with one end on the ground and the other held up by poles. No other structure is involved. But the OP was inspired by British usage, in which case **Futile Gesture** is correct. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lean-to/219116/10 "2003-12-15T16:29:18Z")
Sort of a shack or add-on to the main building. Usually of somewhat primitative construction. * * * “Beware of the Cog”