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Synonyms

sawbones

American  
[saw-bohnz] / ˈsɔˌboʊnz /

noun

(used with a singular verb)
  • sawbones,
    plural
  • sawboneses
    plural
  1. a surgeon or physician.


sawbones British  
/ ˈsɔːˌbəʊnz /

noun

  1. slang a surgeon or doctor

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of sawbones

First recorded in 1830–40; saw 1 + bone + -s 3 ( def. )


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.

See Examples For:

“Put the sawbones like me out of business.”

From The New Yorker ● Aug. 20, 2012

Small wonder that they have been dubbed "sawbones," or that they have always hated the unpleasant word.

From Time Magazine Archive

Amid such scenes, sawbones of 16 nations got together last week for their first international meeting since before the war.

From Time Magazine Archive

In New Winton's collection of characters the town sawbones, Dr. Bull, stands out like a large masculine thumb.

From Time Magazine Archive

But it has made a nasty jagged scratch all the same, and we’ll get the sawbones at it soon as we’re in.

From Harley Greenoak's Charge by Bertram Mitford

"Well, I done just like you told me to, and them cussed sawboneses won't let me go back no more," Shade reported to Pap Himes that evening.

From The Power and the Glory by Arthur Ignatius Keller

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