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hacksaw

hacksaw

14 4.0
A small hand tool with a thin blade and small teeth in a frame for cutting metal
  • noun
  • /ˈhæksɔː/
translation icon : sierra de arco
  • Instead of a standard fork, a hacksaw or ice pick might have been useful.
  • hacksaw blade
  • use a hacksaw

Examples

  • The primary tools needed include a drill press, a tape measure, a file, cork, a hacksaw, sandpaper, and a two-foot length of PVC pipe.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Trevor was putting the tools away on the pegboard: the hacksaw, the awl, and the pliers.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • And a lot of times I would just use a hacksaw by hand.

  • See if you can get a hacksaw, anything!

  • Radio in for a hacksaw up here!

  • "We had to call in a plumber," she said, "to saw my wedding ring off with a hacksaw."

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Russell pulls out a hacksaw and begins sawing through the tree.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • But if you feel your personal safety requires something a bit more easily concealed, go across the street to the hardware store, get yourself a hacksaw.

  • I cut a breadboard in half with a bandsaw, but of course a hacksaw would be entirely adequate.

    Blog text (31)
  • To shorten the metal rod, you should use a hacksaw to cut it precisely.

Synonyms

cutter
vshacksaw
67 2.5

A tool used to cut materials like glass or dough

is a one-handed framed tool with fine teeth for cutting hard materials
saw
vshacksaw
54 1.0

A tool with a thin toothed blade used to cut wood or other materials

is a one-handed framed tool with finer teeth for hard materials
cutting tool
vshacksaw
2 3.1

A tool like a knife or scissors that cuts materials

is a specific one-handed framed tool with fine teeth for hard materials
metal saw
vshacksaw
1 3.5

A tool you hold in one hand for cutting metal like pipes

uses a framed blade with finer teeth for hard materials
hack saw
vshacksaw
3.6

A hand saw with a thin blade and many small teeth for cutting metal and other hard materials

has identical meaning but differs only in spelling and spacing

How Strong

grinder
  • Specialized
27 2.5
bolt cutter
12 3.9
hacksaw
14 4.0
wire cutter
8 2.6
pliers
2.3

Surface Forms

hacksaw singular
hacksaws plural

Morphology

hacksaw = hack + saw (transparent) = hack + saw

A clear noun–noun compound: a type of saw described by 'hack', so the meaning 'a saw for hacking/cutting' follows normal compound semantics.

Etymology

Hacksaw is simply hack + saw. Hack meant 'to cut roughly', so a hacksaw is a small hand saw used to 'hack' through metal and other hard materials.