Whipsaw
Whipsaw , noun
1.
A saw for dividing timber lengthwise, usually set in a frame, and worked by two persons; also, a fret saw.
2.
A kind of narrow ripsaw, tapering from butt to point, with hook teeth and averaging from 5 to 7½ feet in length, used by one or two men.
Whipsaw , transitive verb
1.
To saw with the whipsaw.
2.
To defeat in, or cause to lose, two different bets at the same turn or in one play, as a player at faro who has made two bets at the same time, one that a card will lose and another that a different card will win; hence, to defeat in spite of every effort.
3.
to cause to suffer a setback or losses by subjecting to two forces at the same time or in rapid succession; as, consumers were whipsawed by both inflation and higher sales taxes.
4.
(Finance) to cause to suffer a series of losses in trading when buying and selling at the wrong times in a rapidly fluctuating market; -- especially used when an attempt is made, by selling short, to recover losses from a long purchase in a declining market, and the short sale also results in a loss when the market subsequently rises. Used mostly in the passive; as, to be whipsawed by exaggerated responses to a changing outlook.