Fretwork is the open, often lacy pattern cut into thin wood, metal, or similar material — and it is also the craft of making those patterns. Think of a wooden screen full of little shapes, a clock front with cut-out leaves, or a metal grille that is as much picture as barrier. The pieces are usually thin; the beauty is in the gaps as much as in the solid parts. It is a craft and design word, more at home in workshops, museums, and old houses than in casual chat. People sometimes stretch it to any busy cut-out decoration, even when the work is machine-made. The fret here is ornamental cutting, not worry.

鏤空細工；透雕