Verb
saw off (third-person singular simple present saws off, present participle sawing off, simple past sawed off, past participle sawed off or sawn off)
To cut off with a saw.
saw off
simple past of see off
Britain has never been cowed by fear or hatred or terror. Our Great British resolve faced down Hitler; it defeated Communism; it saw off the IRA's assaults on our way of life. Time and again we have stood up to aggression and tyranny. David Cameron
You shouldn't saw off the branch you're sitting on. Swedish Proverb