sawed-off
Americanadjective
-
sawed off at the end, as a shotgun or broomstick.
-
Slang. smallish; of less than average size or stature.
Etymology
Origin of sawed-off
An Americanism dating back to 1865–70
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To disguise the swelling caused by hours of handshaking, Volk suggested Lincoln grasp a sawed-off broomstick.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026
Conservationists also debate what to do with the sawed-off rhino horns.
From Salon • Jun. 16, 2025
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Texas, challenges the move to treat the guns like short-barreled rifles, a weapon like a sawed-off shotgun that has been heavily regulated since the 1930s.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 31, 2023
“In the days of Al Capone, Congress said back then that short-barreled rifles and sawed-off shotguns should be subjected to greater legal requirements than most other guns,” the director of the A.T.F.,
From New York Times • Jan. 13, 2023
At all times this sawed-off, unflamboyant man knew exactly where his affairs were at.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
