see-saw
/ˈsiːsɔː
/noun
1A long plank balanced in the middle on a fixed support, on each end of which children sit and swing up and down by pushing the ground alternately with their feet.This week some swings and see-saws have been put in the site....
- There have already been hundreds of people coming to this park, and because there is such a big demand, we are planning on adding a second set of swings, see-saws, sand pit and benches.
- Some brought see-saws, slides and swings to their frames.
1.1A situation characterized by rapid, repeated changes from one state or condition to another: the emotional see-saw of a first love affair [as modifier]: see-saw interest rates...
- The emotional see-saw of her life so far, with its successes and failures, knows few limits.
- The intellectual see-saw continues as we're carefully guided through an ethical minefield of technologies.
- Few contests ever have involved so much see-saw emotion.
verb [no object]
1Change rapidly and repeatedly from one position, situation, or condition to another and back again: the market see-sawed as rumours spread of an imminent cabinet reshuffle...
- During that period his condition would see-saw and we were not sure if he would pull through.
- The London Market's fortunes continued to see-saw yesterday as the City digested yet another dramatic session.
- First, it is suggested that successive attempts to expound a Marxian theory of nature have see-sawed between naturalistic and social constructionist positions.
1.1 [with object] Cause (something) to move back and forth or up and down rapidly and repeatedly: Sybil see-sawed the car back and forth
Synonyms
fluctuate, swing, go from one extreme to the other, go up and down, rise and fall, oscillate, alternate, yo-yo, teeter, be unstable, be unsteady, vary, shift, sway, ebb and flow
Origin
Mid 17th century (originally used by sawyers as a rhythmical refrain): reduplication of the verb saw1 (symbolic of the sawing motion).