sawyer

From the Word of the Day

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sawyer \SAW-yer\ , noun;
1. One that is employed in sawing wood.
2. Also called sawyer beetle. Any of several long-horned beetles, esp. one of the genus Monochamus, the larvae of which bore in the wood of coniferous trees.
3. A tree or a part of a tree that protrudes above the surface in a body of water.

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I've never known a sawyer, but I've sawed wood, both literally and in the slang sense. I've read Tom Sawyer several times. I did know a guy named Sawyer, a drug dealer who lived a few blocks away. (I didn't purchase drugs from him, but it's a small town, that's how I knew) He made two mistakes; one was in selling drugs and the other was selling drugs within a block of an elementary school. The house is now occupied by a Pampa police officer.

Doing some online research, I found no mention of his conviction, so I can't say for certain that he was arrested, only my fuzzy memory seems to recall that he was and the charges were enhanced by the school's proximity. I also remember something about how the raid found a cache of arms and ammunition, along with listening equipment and low-light vision devices. Paranoia will destroy ya, so will hard drugs.

The guy was mentioned in this 2005 forum as being a suspect in a quadruple murder but the murderer was convicted was found and is in prison. Searching some more, I found an obit of Sawyer from '06 which means he isn't this NORML lawyer of the same name.

It's a shame, because now when I hear the following tune, I think of that guy instead of Mark Twain's book.

Tom Sawyer - Rush