A small pile or bundle of hay loosely stacked in the field during or after cutting, often cone-shaped for drying before being gathered into larger ricks or stacks.
From 'hay' + 'shock' (from Middle Low German 'schok,' meaning a pile or heap). Shocking hay was a standard intermediate step in hay preparation.
A field of hayshocks in summer was the farmer's progress report—properly spaced shocks indicated good drying conditions, and their even distribution showed a well-organized harvest, making them almost aesthetic in their precision.
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