lop

Cut tree limbs

To lop is to cut off branches or parts, especially from a tree: He lopped the dead limbs from the oak.

The cutting is usually rough or wholesale rather than precise—you lop off what's unwanted.

Figuratively, to lop something off is to remove it decisively: They lopped two chapters from the manuscript.

Lop also means to hang limply or droop, as in lop-eared rabbits whose ears fall rather than stand erect.

severing

hew

Cut with axe

  • hackShortcut or breach
  • severCut apart completely
  • cutSeverance or reduction

cleave · slash · truncate · amputate · decapitate · dock · bob · shear · axe · machete

pruning

prune

Desiccated stone fruit

  • trimRemove unwanted edges
  • clipCut or attach
  • snipSmall quick cut

shears · cutback · pollard · coppice · deadhead · topiary · secateurs · branch · limb · bough

drooping

droop

Hang down limply

  • sagSink from weight
  • hangSuspend from above
  • dangleHang loosely, swaying

loll · slouch · wilt · flag · sink · bend · bow · pendulous · floppy · limp

uneven

unbalanced

Lacking equilibrium or stability

tilted · unequal · off-kilter · listing · askew · one-sided · imbalanced

pig

landrace

Regionally adapted traditional stock

  • breedCultivated variety of animal
  • swineDomestic porcine animals
  • hogSwine, or monopolize

porcine · sow · boar

Categories
Opposites
cutting/removal action

lopgraft

Illicit political gain

attach · join · add · affix · connect

manner of cutting

lopprune

Desiccated stone fruit

trim · sculpt · manicure · shape · groom

Phrases
Family

flop, lopsided, lopping, lopper, lopped, lops, loppers, lop-eared, lop-sided

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G