coping saw
1
6.9
- noun
- /ˈkoʊpɪŋ sɔː/
- Specialized
:
sierra de calar
- This is a titanium coping saw built by the wonderful geniuses at New Concepts Knew Concepts.
- cut with a coping saw
- use a coping saw
Examples
-
She wandered the length of the workbench, reaching up to touch a coping saw here, a claw hammer there.
Fiction book (1998) -
What we need... is a coping saw.
-
And I was using a beautiful coping saw from New Concepts to make my dovetail cuts.
-
To create intricate designs on wood, you should use a coping saw for precise cuts.
-
With a coping saw, you can easily cut out the shapes needed for your woodworking project.
-
I used a coping saw to shape the wooden pieces into curved forms for my model.
Synonyms
54
1.0
A tool with a thin toothed blade used to cut wood or other materials
1
2.1
A saw used with one hand to cut wood
1
6.8
A small hand tool with a long narrow blade for cutting tight curves and holes in wood or drywall
A hand tool with a thin blade for cutting small curved shapes in wood
A small tool with a long, narrow, pointed blade for cutting tight curves in wood
How Precise
- Specialized
2
7.3
- Specialized
1
6.9
- US
1
6.8
- Specialized
3
4.9
3
2.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
Although 'saw' is transparent as a cutting tool, the element 'coping' here relies on a specialized carpentry sense (to 'cope' or trim mouldings) rather than the everyday noun 'stone or brick cap' provided. Because the specific meaning ('a thin handsaw for cutting curves') is a trade-name sense not predictable from the common constituent meanings, a B1 learner knowing those constituents would not reliably infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Coping saw comes from the verb cope, which means 'to shape the end of a piece of wood so it fits another piece'. The saw's thin, tight blade lets you cut the small curves and shapes needed for that fitting work, so the tool's name links to the job it does.