sawed-off
Americanadjective
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sawed off at the end, as a shotgun or broomstick.
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Slang. smallish; of less than average size or stature.
Etymology
Origin of sawed-off
An Americanism dating back to 1865–70
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.
To disguise the swelling caused by hours of handshaking, Volk suggested Lincoln grasp a sawed-off broomstick.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
Conservationists also debate what to do with the sawed-off rhino horns.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2025
Investigators found a sawed-off shotgun, a second shotgun and other unspecified evidence during a search of Hale’s home.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 28, 2023
“In the days of Al Capone, Congress said back then that short-barreled rifles and sawed-off shotguns should be subjected to greater legal requirements than most other guns,” the director of the A.T.F.,
From New York Times ● Jan. 13, 2023
“I got no use for McClellan. I don’t know what ol’ Abe means—tuckerin’ to him like he was some little sawed-off king.”
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
