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Whipsaw

adj, noun, verb

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Having the characteristic of arguing two sides at once. not-comparable

    "During the Porter crisis, Kelly found himself under intense scrutiny for the veracity of his whipsaw statements. He publicly praised Porter and privately urged him to stay."

Noun
  1. 1
    A rip saw often operated by two people.
  2. 2
    a saw with handles at both ends; intended for use by two people wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To operate a whipsaw.
  2. 2
    saw with a whipsaw wordnet
  3. 3
    To cause (a trader) to lose potential profit by buying shares just before the price falls, or by selling them just before the price rises. transitive
  4. 4
    victimize, especially in gambling or negotiations wordnet
  5. 5
    To defeat someone in two different ways at once. transitive

    "Whipsawed by events and facing another midterm electoral defeat, President Obama has directed his team to forge a policy agenda to regain momentum for his final two years in office even as some advisers urge that he rethink the way he governs."

Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    Of a trade union: to coerce employers into capitulating by bringing them the news that other (more easily convinced) employers have already done so.
  2. 7
    To accept bribes from multiple parties at once, with the intent of letting down one or more of them. US

Etymology

Etymology 1

From whip + saw.

Etymology 2

From whip + saw.

Etymology 3

From whip + saw.

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