Make Your Point > Archived Issues > WHIPSAW
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pronounce
WHIPSAW:
Say it "WIPP saw."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
We could place whipsaw on a list including siphon, shoehorn, and millstone.
Why? What general concept unites these metaphors?
definition:
(Thanks to NCPedia.org for the image!)
A whipsaw is the kind of saw that two people can use: they pull back and forth to make the cut.
Figuratively speaking, a whipsaw is something harmful in two different ways.
And, to whipsaw things or people is to hurt them in two different ways, or, more loosely, to jerk them back and forth, or just hurt them really badly.
And, when something whipsaws, it jerks back and forth.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech: both a noun ("this whipsaw") and a verb ("they whipsawed us," "it whipsawed between this and that").
Other forms: whipsaws, whipsawed, whipsawing.
how to use it:
This word has a slangy American feel and a harsh, negative, even violent tone.
To use the noun, refer to something as a whipsaw, sometimes of one thing and another: "the whipsaw of recession and inflation," "the whipsaw of rising costs and sinking values."
To use the transitive verb, talk about events, changes, forces, and trends that whipsaw things and people. For example, public opinion can whipsaw political candidates and social movements. New technologies and regulations can whipsaw prices, stocks, companies, markets, and economies. And a bad romance can whipsaw your heart.
To use the intransitive verb, talk about things or people whipsawing on their own. "The price whipsawed as the holidays approached." "He's distressed; his comments keep whipsawing between rage and frostiness."
examples:
"Stocks have struggled since the start of August, when the last trade truce between China and the United States fell apart. The S&P 500 dropped 1 percent last week, when markets were whipsawed by updates on the fight and its growing effect on the global economy."
— Matt Phillips, The New York Times, 21 August 2019
"The last year has seen the factory shrink, get canceled, reappear, and undergo other shifts chronicled below... If the last year is any guide, the whipsawing is far from over."
— Josh Dzieza, The Verge, 28 June 2019
has this page helped you understand "whipsaw"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "whipsaw" without saying "a double whammy" or "a shellacking."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "(Some particular song, poem, book, movie, or television show) (has two very different parts, sections, moods, characters, settings, or themes) that whipsaw you into happy submission."
Example 1: "Fiona Apple's 'Fast As You Can' switches between two paces--slow and dreamy, and fast and frenzied--that whipsaw you into happy submission."
Example 2: "'Nowhere to Hide' begins with two short, utterly contrasting, equally enthralling sequences that whipsaw you into happy submission."
— Mike Hale, New York Times, 24 November 2019
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game this month is Lightning Rhyming Recall!
In each issue this month, see how fast you can recall three words. They’re unrelated in meaning--probably--but they rhyme. To check your answers, scroll to the bottom of the issue. We’ll start out easy and ramp up the difficulty as the month goes on. Enjoy!
Each word below rhymes with EDUCATE:
A. (3 syllables, verb) To stand up and speak for someone else is to...
B. (3 syllables, verb) To stitch a bunch of lies together is to...
C. (4 syllables, verb) To destroy something, all the way to its roots, is to…
review this word:
A. UNITE.
B. ASSIGN.
C. COMPOSE.
2. In college, you find yourself whipsawed by _____.
A. the glory of an afternoon nap
B. high tuition and little time to earn an income
C. the delicious, ever-present promise of free pizza
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
We could place whipsaw on a list including siphon, shoehorn, and millstone.
Part of speech: both a noun ("this whipsaw") and a verb ("they whipsawed us," "it whipsawed between this and that").
This word has a slangy American feel and a harsh, negative, even violent tone.
"Stocks have struggled since the start of August, when the last trade truce between China and the United States fell apart. The S&P 500 dropped 1 percent last week, when markets were whipsawed by updates on the fight and its growing effect on the global economy."
Explain the meaning of "whipsaw" without saying "a double whammy" or "a shellacking."
Fill in the blanks: "(Some particular song, poem, book, movie, or television show) (has two very different parts, sections, moods, characters, settings, or themes) that whipsaw you into happy submission."
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
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