Hacksaw

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A hand tool used for cutting through rigid materials, characterized by its thin, serrated blade that is stretched within a frame to maintain tension
2. This cutting implement is designed to slice through hard substances, featuring a delicate blade secured within a supportive structure for stability
3. A type of cutting tool employed for severing tough materials, which consists of a slender blade with teeth fixed in a supportive frame to aid in precision cutting

Etymology: "Hack" is an old English verb meaning to cut or chop roughly with repeated blows, and the saw was added to it to name a tool built for that job. The compound is simple, but the two halves pull in different directions: "hack" suggests a crude, hasty chop, while a saw suggests a toothed blade drawn back and forth. The hacksaw combines the rough action with the careful instrument. The compound is recorded in English from 1867, so it is a Victorian-era name for a tool whose design had already been in use for some time. The point of the frame is what makes it useful: a slender blade is too flexible to cut straight on its own, so it is held taut in a rigid metal frame, which lets the user press and pull along a precise line through metal, pipe or bone.

Synonyms: saw, cutting tool