lopper


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lop 1

 (lŏp)
tr.v. lopped, lop·ping, lops
1. To cut off (a part), especially from a tree or shrub: lopped off the dead branches.
2. To cut off a part or parts from; trim: lopped the vines back; lopped her curls shorter.
3. To eliminate or excise as superfluous: lopped him from the payroll.

[Perhaps from Middle English loppe, small branches and twigs.]

lop′per n.

lop 2

 (lŏp)
intr. & tr.v. lopped, lop·ping, lops
To hang or let hang loosely; droop.

[Origin unknown.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.lopper - a long-handled pruning saw with a curved blade at the end and sometimes a clipperlopper - a long-handled pruning saw with a curved blade at the end and sometimes a clipper; used to prune small trees
pruning saw - a handsaw used for pruning trees
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
References in periodicals archive ?
The repairers were asked to fix a range of items including a tree lopper, a Marconi transistor radio which used to pick up Radio Luxembourg back in its heyday, a legless table, a number of steam irons, a hand drill, a soldering iron, items which needed stitching and jewellery.
The tools that help achieve graceful form in these shrubs are not hedge shears but a lopper and hand-held pruning shears, perhaps also a small pruning saw.
Pruners and lopper shears are usually used in conjunction with each other when doing lighter trimming, and are excellent with newly planted young trees of any variety.
OUR tallest telescopic lopper just got a whole lot TALLEr – lopping out of reach branches needn't be a chore or a safety issue with this new mains–powered lightweight telescopic chainsaw from Eckman.
Fiskars' new Cut-and-Grab Lopper ($40; fiskars.com) holds a branch after you cut it so you can direct its fall--especially helpful when working with thorny plants.
Jay Leno, Mary McCormack and NBC lopper Jeff Gaspin al the Peacock's TCA press tour party at the Langham Resort in Pasadena, Calif., Aug.
A lopper can also be mounted on a pole and is operated from the ground using a rope.
Keep in mind that a hatchet also can be used for pruning limbs, but it leaves a ragged cut that might be more vulnerable to disease than that left by a saw or appropriate lopper. You might also consider adding a machete and splitting maul to your arsenal; the machete can often slice through clumped vegetation--such as shrub stems --that your hatchet bounces off of, and the maul offers the power to drive through the dirt surrounding a pesky root.
For dealing with thicker cuts, have one quality professional long-handled lopper. Buy the best that you can afford, as it will last your lifetime and beyond.