axe
/æks/ noun B2- A tool for felling trees or chopping wood etc. consisting of a heavy head flattened to a blade on one side, and a handle attached to it.
- An ancient weapon consisting of a head that has one or two blades and a long handle.
- A dismissal or rejection. · His girlfriend/boss/schoolmaster gave him the axe.
- A drastic reduction or cutback. · the Beeching Axe· The tractor plant is slated for the axe.
- A gigging musician's particular instrument, especially a guitar in rock music or a saxophone in jazz.
- A position, interest, or reason in buying and selling stock, often with ulterior motives. · A financial dealer has an axe in a stock that his buyers don't know about, giving him an advantage in making the most profit.
Plural axes
From the library
The tree made a good, thick covering to protect them from the dew, and the Tin Woodman chopped a great pile of wood with his axe and Dorothy built a splendid fire that warmed her and made her feel less lonely.
One of the big trees had been partly chopped through, and standing beside it, with an uplifted axe in his hands, was a man made entirely of tin.
The Tin Woodman gave a sigh of satisfaction and lowered his axe, which he leaned against the tree.
“I have been holding that axe in the air ever since I rusted, and I’m glad to be able to put it down at last.
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