sawbuck

¹ American  

[saw-buhk] / ˈsɔˌbʌk /

noun

1. a sawhorse.

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sawbuck ² American  

[saw-buhk] / ˈsɔˌbʌk /

noun

Slang.

1. a ten-dollar bill.

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sawbuck British  

/ ˈsɔːˌbʌk /

noun

1. a sawhorse, esp one having an X-shaped supporting structure

2. slang a ten-dollar bill

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Etymology

Origin of sawbuck¹

1860–65, compare Dutch zaagbok

Origin of sawbuck²

1840–50, so called from the resemblance of the Roman numeral X to the crossbars of a sawbuck ¹

Example Sentences

You can channel the same era throughout your seating, pairing wishbone and sawbuck, or windsor and ladderback.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2021

Now that Alexander Hamilton is safe on the sawbuck, and Andrew Jackson is banished to the back of the $20 note, could we please tackle a rather more urgent U.S. monetary issue?

From Time • May 24, 2016

Nine years ago, I was sitting in an off-track betting parlor, with a sawbuck riding on a 19-to-1 shot named Great Eight.

From Slate • May 4, 2012

From the Indians came possum, persimmon, punk, skunk, squash, succotash; from the Dutch, cruller, sawbuck, scow, slaw, snoop, stoop, waffle; from the Spanish, cafeteria, calaboose, lariat, mustang; from the German, cranberry.

From Time Magazine Archive

Miss Rachel had put some yard furniture around the pool, and there was a sawbuck table under the fig tree.

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee