old saw


A proverb or maxim, as in Mom's always repeating the old saw, “Haste makes waste.” This term uses saw in the sense of “saying,” and old in the sense of “wise” rather than old-fashioned. [Second half of 1400s]

Words Nearby old saw

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

How to use old saw in a sentence

  • The soft tan bark was even more suitable for tumbling, leaping and jumping than the old saw-dust ring on the commons.

    Watch Yourself Go By | Al. G. Field
  • I had rather a remarkable illustration of the old saw this morning.

    The Squire's Daughter | Silas K(itto) Hocking
  • That is the revised version of an old saw, and I like it better.

    "Say Fellows--" | Wade C. Smith