sawbuck

1
[ saw-buhk ]

noun
  1. a sawhorse.

Origin of sawbuck

1
1860–65, Americanism; compare Dutch zaagbok

Words Nearby sawbuck

Other definitions for sawbuck (2 of 2)

sawbuck2
[ saw-buhk ]

nounSlang.
  1. a ten-dollar bill.

Origin of sawbuck

2
1840–50, Americanism; so called from the resemblance of the Roman numeral X to the crossbars of a sawbuck1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sawbuck in a sentence

  • But with this sawbuck one cannot use as heavy logs as with the first one because of the difficulty in handling them.

  • Anyhow, we ain' kin make de rabbit look lak he sittin' down w'en de hine legs is stickin' down straight lak de sawbuck.

  • They were travelers, not cow punchers, for the pack animal carried a sawbuck pack-saddle and a very small pack.

    Jack the Young Cowboy | George Bird Grinnell
  • A man who was humped over a sawbuck in a nearby yard straightened up and began to pay strict attention.

  • As in the case of the riding saddle, the sawbuck pack saddle should be supplied with the double cinch.

    Packing and Portaging | Dillon Wallace

British Dictionary definitions for sawbuck

sawbuck

/ (ˈsɔːˌbʌk) /


noun
  1. US and Canadian a sawhorse, esp one having an X-shaped supporting structure

  2. mainly US and Canadian slang a ten-dollar bill

Origin of sawbuck

1
C19: (in the sense: sawhorse) translated from Dutch zaagbok; (in the sense: ten-dollar bill) from the legs of a sawbuck forming the Roman numeral X

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012