saw off the branch one is sitting on
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saw off the branch one is sitting on
verb saws off the branch one is sitting on · sawing off the branch one is sitting on · sawed off the branch one was sitting on · sawn off the branch one was sitting on
- To pursue a course of action that will lead to self-destruction. A critic's role, he wrote, is that of “sawing off the branch on which one is sitting”: One can and may continue to sit on a branch while sawing it. There is no physical or moral obstacle if one is willing to risk the consequences.
Translations
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verb Translations
| Français | scier la branche sur laquelle on est assis |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | den Ast absägen, auf dem man sitzt |
| Ελληνικά | πριονίζω το κλαδί στο οποίο κάθομαι prionízo to kladí sto opoío káthomai, πριονίζω το κλαδί που κάθομαι prionízo to kladí pou káthomai |
| Русский | пили́ть сук, на кото́ром сиди́шь pilítʹ suk, na kotórom sidíšʹ |
Talk about this word "saw off the branch one is sitting on." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/saw%20off%20the%20branch%20one%20is%20sitting%20on. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. saw off the branch one is sitting on. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/saw%20off%20the%20branch%20one%20is%20sitting%20on "saw off the branch one is sitting on." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/saw%20off%20the%20branch%20one%20is%20sitting%20on.Cite this
@misc{saw_off_the_branch_one_is_sitting_on_2026,
title = {saw off the branch one is sitting on},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/saw%20off%20the%20branch%20one%20is%20sitting%20on},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
