hew
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hew (something) out of (something)
To carve or cut a particular shape or object out of a piece of wood. Yeah, I hewed this bottle opener out of a piece of wood I had lying around the shop.
hew down
To cut something down, typically a tree. A noun or pronoun can be used between "hew" and "down." If we're going to build houses here, then we need to hew down a lot of these trees.
hew out
To carve or cut a particular shape or object out of a piece of wood. A noun or pronoun can be used between "hew" and "out." I'm going to hew out a bottle opener—what are you making?
hew to (something)
To adhere to a particular idea or rule. The teacher will deduct points if you don't hew to the guidelines for the project.
See also: hew
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
hew something down
to fell something wooden, usually a tree. We will have to hew most of this forest down. They hewed down the tree.
hew something out of something
and hew something outto carve the shape of something out of something wooden. Dan hewed each of the posts out of a tree trunk. He hewed out a number of posts.
hew to something
to conform to a rule or principle. I wish you would hew to the rules a little better. Sarah refuses to hew to the company policies.
See also: hew
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
hew to
v.
To conform to some law, set of beliefs, or course of action: I hope our children will hew to the traditions of our ancestors.
See also: hew
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.