sawbuck

¹

[ saw-buhk ]

noun

1. a sawhorse.

sawbuck

²

[ saw-buhk ]

noun

, Slang.

1. a ten-dollar bill.

sawbuck

/ ˈsɔːˌbʌk /

noun

1. a sawhorse, esp one having an X-shaped supporting structure
2. slang.
   a ten-dollar bill

Word History and Origins

Origin of sawbuck¹

1860–65, Americanism; compare Dutch zaagbok

Origin of sawbuck²

1840–50, Americanism; so called from the resemblance of the Roman numeral X to the crossbars of a sawbuck ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of sawbuck¹

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

Example Sentences

Donald Trump's version was, "The sawbuck stops here — but blame is for everyone else."

From Salon

You can channel the same era throughout your seating, pairing wishbone and sawbuck, or windsor and ladderback.

From Salon

That’s a lot of sawbucks, but it also registered as a 38 percent drop in value from those early, drunken projections.

From The Verge

“They can spend thousands of dollars hiking in Provence, but don’t you even think of gambling away a sawbuck in Las Vegas.”

From The Guardian

It's worth remembering these numbers are reflective of the betting habits of the public rather than the forecast of odds makers; conversely, fans aren't dropping sawbucks on a player routinely missing cuts.

From Golf Digest