the.com/saw
a row of tiny teeth that bites wood faster than wood can apologize.
means A saw is a tool with a toothed blade for cutting through wood, metal, or bone — and also, separately, the past tense of 'see' and an old word for a wise saying.
from From Old English 'sagu' (the cutting tool), tied to a root meaning 'to cut' — a cousin of Latin 'secare,' which also gives us 'section' and 'scissors.' The 'saw' meaning 'a wise saying' (as in 'old saws') is a different Old English word, 'sagu,' related to 'say' and 'saga' — a thing spoken. And 'saw' as the past of 'see' comes from Old English 'seah.' Three separate words that happened to grind down to the same three letters.
- ancient design
- Egyptians sawed with copper blades 5,000 years ago
- two directions
- pull-saws cut on the draw, not the push
- nature's version
- some insects saw plant stems to lay eggs
- musical instrument
- bowed hand saws sing eerie ghostly notes
- chainsaw origin
- first chainsaw was invented for childbirth surgery
sierra club — founded 1892, oldest conservation organization that organized the first wilderness preservation campaigns
john muir — naturalist who used saws to study tree rings and advocated for forest preservation in yosemite
bucksaw — 18th century tool that revolutionized logging productivity across north america