marriage broom
n.— «Lasko bought a few of her mother’s brooms (she stresses the artisanal nature of these objects; Curt decides not to use one to shoo Enzo off his leg) and spent time with broom maker Marlow Gates at his Leicester, North Carolina, studio, learning to strip bark, sand wood and weave handles together into what is called a “marriage broom.”» —“Britta’s bees [with video]” by Brendan Fitzgerald C-Ville (Charlotteville, Virginia) Dec. 25, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
David from Plymouth, Wisconsin, wonders about the expression a cord of wood. The phrase goes back to the 17th century and has to do with using a cord to measure a specific quantity of stacked wood. This is part of a complete episode.
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The phrase “marriage broom” comes from the use of a broom for enacting marriages among slaves in the American South. Official marriages having been prohibited among black slaves, unofficial marriage were enacted by the couple jumping over a broom which had been laid on the ground. “Jumping the broom” can still be observed in some black marriages in the US.