Meanings
plural pie crust leases
- EnglandWaleslawA lease for the surface of some land or structure (such as a bridge), which excludes the subsurface or land beneath.
Synonyms: surface lease
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA lease for the surface of some land or structure (such as a bridge), which excludes the subsurface or land beneath.
Origin
From pie crust + lease, in reference to the lease only including the topmost layer of the land. Coined due to the fact that estates in land include the subsurface by default.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
pie crust lease. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pie%20crust%20lease
“pie crust lease.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pie%20crust%20lease. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pie crust lease,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pie%20crust%20lease.
Source: pie crust lease on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.