aserruchar

The everyday Latin American verb for sawing (aserrar's more colloquial cousin, from serrucho, "handsaw"). It's also the source of a well-known Southern Cone idiom, aserruchar el piso a alguien — to secretly undermine or sabotage someone's position, especially at work.

• Aserruchó la madera con un serrucho viejo. — He sawed the wood with an old handsaw.
• En la oficina, algunos compañeros te aserruchan el piso sin que lo notes. — At the office, some coworkers undermine you behind your back without you noticing.
• Hay que aserruchar las tablas antes de armar la mesa. — The boards need to be sawed before putting the table together.

Missing the figurative idiom aserruchar el piso — a learner who only knows the literal "to saw" sense will be lost in workplace or political gossip where the phrase means "to sabotage/undermine," a very common usage in Argentina, Chile, and neighboring countries.

• expression Aserruchar el piso — A widely used Southern Cone (Argentina, Chile, also parts of Central America) idiom meaning to secretly undermine or sabotage someone's position, especially a rival at work or in politics — likened to sawing through the floor someone is standing on so they fall.