Matchwood

But nothing of the kind was visible, and the spars, masts, and other wreckage which had reached the rocks had been shattered into "matchwood" by frequent gales. ❋ Unknown (1859)

Her hair is cross-parted by sleep, blonde as matchwood. ❋ Robert Boswell (2011)

"My new fear was that the paddle-boxes would be stove into matchwood this actually happened to the Ostend boat that same night about 40 miles away and naked paddle wheels are rather dangerous things." ❋ Unknown (2011)

It is the point of the evening: that moment when everything is blown apart, when the stack of chairs that have been tumbled like matchwood at the back of the stage take on a meaning, while the lives of the characters are shattered and jumbled. ❋ Susannah Clapp (2010)

The on-loan striker brushed opponents aside like they were matchwood, surged forward as unstoppably as a tidal bore, set up one goal, blasted home another. ❋ Unknown (2010)

The guns of the Thunder Child sounded through the reek, going off one after the other, and one shot splashed the water high close by the steamer, ricocheted towards the other flying ships to the north, and smashed a smack to matchwood. ❋ H. G. Wells (2009)

The Orkney makes the very similar Ashford Traveller look like it was built out of matchwood, tbh. ❋ Spinningfishwife (2008)

One shot from the rifled ten-inch guns mounted along its sides and the smaller ships would be matchwood. ❋ Unknown (2006)

The walls were as thin as matchwood, and to hide the cracks they had been covered with layer after layer of pink paper, which had come loose and housed innumerable bugs. ❋ The Daily Growler (2006)

With a terrific crash he impacted the wall, spun about by the force, and fell against the bannister, crashing through it as if it were so much matchwood. ❋ Unknown (2004)

The long-boat changed, as if by magic, into matchwood where she stood in her gripes. ❋ Unknown (2004)

And I went down there -- this was at least a half an hour after the -- after the wave had hit -- and saw this extraordinary scene of devastation with all the beachside shacks and restaurants and cafes just kind of reduced to matchwood. ❋ Unknown (2004)

The harbormaster sighed, looking at the moored sailboats; half of them would be on the beach, or matchwood, by morning. ❋ Unknown (2004)

Blood dripped from the forecastle scuppers while the figurehead of the monk with a cross had been turned into matchwood. ❋ Cornwell, Bernard, 1944- (2000)

The answering punch was weak, and the new warlord caught it up, snapping the arm at the elbow as easily as matchwood. ❋ Coleman, Loren L. (1999)

The porch, pummeled by hail, was reduced to matchwood. ❋ Barker, Clive, 1952- (1992)