Definitions 101: Whipsaw
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010Here’s a short and hopefully painless post for your quick-reading pleasure.
What is a whipsaw?
A whipsaw is a two-handled saw that dates back to the 1400s. It can be smallish or it can be big enough to cut down large tree. The idea is this: A cutting job that takes enough effort for two people could be made easier if two people actually do the cutting. Most whipsaws average 6 feet in length.
A whipsaw humorously reminds me of the pushmipullyu (a two-headed animal that is part gazelle, part unicorn) from the “Dr. Doolittle” story — when one head moves, the other head instinctively moves in the opposite direction. It’s all about teamwork, my friends.
A whipsaw (photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Two_man_saw.JPG)
Alternatively, Webster’s New World College Dictionary (which the AP Stylebook folks regard as the end-all-be-all of dictionaries) also shows two transitive verb meanings for whipsaw:
- to cut with a whipsaw
- to defeat or get the best of (a person) two ways at once, as, in faro, by winning two different bets in a single play
So, in other words, they gotcha coming and going.
And for the movie buffs, “Whipsaw” is a 1936 film with Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy, about an under-cover detective who is supposed to bring in a beguiling jewelry thief and her cohorts. Guess who fall in love?
Happy trails!
SAK
