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two-man saw

two-man saw

5.0
A large cutting tool with handles at both ends that two people use to cut wood
  • noun
translation icon : sierra de dos hombres
  • The workers used a two-man saw to cut the large tree into manageable pieces.

Examples

  • Using a two-man saw requires teamwork to ensure smooth and safe cutting.

  • Since Numair and she had gone to the castle, the wolves had stolen fourteen big axes and five two-man saws.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • With the two-man saw, they carefully sliced through the thick logs in the forest.

Synonyms

whipsaw
vstwo-man saw
  • Archaic
1 9.6

A long saw with handles at both ends used by two people

is specified for cutting lumber and logs rather than unspecified materials
two-handed saw
vstwo-man saw
4.8

A long saw with handles at both ends used by two people to cut wood

is focused on cutting larger timber such as lumber and logs
lumberman's saw
vstwo-man saw
  • Archaic
7.6

A large tool with handles at both ends used by two people to cut wood

is the common name for the same tool used on heavy timber
pitsaw
vstwo-man saw
  • Archaic
9.9

A large saw used by two people to cut logs into planks, with one above and one below

is used generally, not necessarily with the below worker pit method

How Many People

two-man saw
5.0
handsaw
3 2.3

Surface Forms

two-man saw singular
two-man saws plural

Morphology

two-man + saw

The noun is compositionally built from 'two' + 'man' (a hyphenated numeral–person modifier) and 'saw' (a cutting tool), so its meaning 'a saw for two people' is directly derivable from the parts. This numeral+person compound pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows ordinary English compounding, making it readily understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituents.

Etymology

Two-man saw is a simple, literal name: the part two-man shows two people are needed and the part saw is the tool they pull back and forth to cut wood. That's why the term means 'a large saw used by two people'.