Sawbuck
/ˈsɔːˌbʌk/noun
A sawhorse; also, U.S. slang for a ten-dollar bill.
Did you know?The money sense comes from the way the Roman numeral X on early ten-dollar notes was said to resemble the crossed legs of a sawhorse, giving the bill its nickname.
Etymological Timeline
19th Century
American English
sawbuck
“A sawhorse; later, slang for a ten-dollar bill.”
19th Century
American English
saw buck
“A buck-shaped sawhorse or a ten-dollar note likened to a sawhorse by its X mark.”
Old English
OE
sagu
“A saw.”
Old English
OE
bucca
“A male goat; later used in English for a male deer or buck.”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰuk-
“A male goat or buck.”