A sawhorse or a wooden frame used to hold wood while it's being sawed or worked.
From 'chaw' (jaw or vice-like grip) and 'buck' (sawhorse or frame). The word describes the gripping action the frame performs on wood, as if the chaws were holding it in place.
This word shows how ordinary people invented descriptive compound words for tools based on what they actually did—the frame's two sides 'chawed' the wood just like jaws grip something, making it a vivid folk invention.
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