sawbones

[ saw-bohnz ]

noun

, (used with a singular verb)

, plural saw·bones, saw·bones·es.

1. a surgeon or physician.

sawbones

/ ˈsɔːˌbəʊnz /

noun

1. slang.
   a surgeon or doctor

Word History and Origins

Origin of sawbones¹

First recorded in 1830–40; saw ¹ + bone + -s ³( def )

Example Sentences

The novel is set in the present day, but potatoes are “spuds,” coffee is “joe,” food is “chow,” mosquitoes are “skeeters” and a doctor is “the local sawbones.”

From New York Times

Like most central characters in doctor shows, Conrad – no one he likes calls him Dr. Hawkins -- is essentially a superhero: smarter, quicker, better and better-looking than your ordinary sawbones.

From Los Angeles Times

Handily, Igor also turns out to be a genius of a kind, an expert draftsman and amateur sawbones who’s eager to help Victor with some of his dodgier scientific experiments.

From New York Times

A typical surgeon’s kit from the period contained a variety of knives and bone saws, thus inspiring the slang term for doctors “sawbones.”

From Literature

“Put the sawbones like me out of business.”

From The New Yorker

Related Words

• doctor
• specialist
• surgeon