whipsaw
/ˈwɪpˌsɔ/
verb
- To subject someone to two opposing forces or conditions, often causing confusion or loss.
- Investors were whipsawed by the sudden ups and downs of the stock market.
- She felt whipsawed by her boss's constantly changing demands.
- The new regulations whipsawed small businesses between higher costs and lower sales.
- To cut with a whipsaw.
- He whipsawed the board carefully to avoid splintering the wood.
- The workers whipsawed the thick trunk all afternoon.
- They whipsawed the fallen tree into manageable pieces.
noun
- A saw with a narrow blade and handles at both ends, used by two people.
- The lumberjacks used a whipsaw to cut the large log into planks.
- He learned to use a whipsaw by working with his father in the forest.
- Before modern sawmills, a whipsaw was a common tool for cutting timber.