Appearance like a (Tic-tac-toe) grid

With the passage of Snowstorm Nemo in New England comes the opportunity to note how a character's general appearance is similar to something else. In order to break up ice or snow that is frozen to the pavement, you often have to hit it with the edge of the shovel. The grid-like pattern resulting from a number of perpendicular whacks can be seen in the shadow cast by the shovel.

井字形 jǐngzì xíng

井 (jǐng) means a (water) well; the character resembles a Tic-tac-toe grid
字 (zì) means a (Chinese) character
形 (xíng) means shape