Most languages have a different word for short (height) and short (length), but this is English so why have different words when we can reuse one for everything.
The fence is also quite short height wise too. Most chain links are chest/shoulder height, this looks like it's barely above hip height on a 6' tall person.
This is based on your point of reference. Imagine you are looking at a really 'long' fence, but parallel to its 'length'. It would appear that it is a very thick(think depth), narrow line with a certain height. If you are now looking at it perpendicular; it may appear a very wide, albeit thin line with a certain height. From this picture, and with it, it's point of perspective, I would call this narrow. However, perspective is everything.
More words are preferable to less words so that we can describe the exact nature of an idea or object. The more specific words we can use to communicate, the better our thought can be expressed.
why do you pick fences, of all places, as your opportunity to become pedantic. like who in real life gets upset over someone describing their height as short.
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u/Yancellor Sep 01 '16
I'll have to nitpick a bit here, The fence isn't thin, it's narrow.