Also the initials of Stock, Aitken, and Waterman, who (while working for PWL) were behind many artists and songs, mostly in the eighties. Examples include Kylie Minogue, Samantha Fox, Cliff Richard...

Aitken left PWL in 1991; Stock and Waterman carried on for a while (with artists such as Sybil, Suzette Charles ... yeah, I've never heard of them either), before Mike Stock also left PWL.

Stock's been having more success recently, with the pop band Steps. Whether it's deserved or not is up to the individual. ;-)

Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam, which translated means "peace and blessings of God be upon him." Muslims typically say this after mentioning the name of the Prophet Muhammad. In English, you might also see PBUH. Usually "alayhi salaam" is used following other prophets.

In military terms: Short for Squad Automatic weapon, the standard squad-level light machine gun in the United States Military. Also known as the FN M249, this is a 5.56mm gas-operated weapon that has a cyclic fire rate of 725 rounds per minute (RPM), and a sustained fire rate of 85 RPM.

The SAW was developed by an United States Army-led Research & Development program in the late 70's to mid-80's, when the M-14 and M-16 assault rifles were unable to fill the all-important role of squad-level fire support, a gap created by the retirement of the BAR, or Browning Automatic Rifle, in the 1950s. The SAW fires the same 5.56x45mm M855 ball round and M856 tracer as the M-16A2, and can feed from both pre-loaded 200-round plastic boxes and 30-round M-16 magazines. This allows the support gunner in a squad to continue firing even after he has exhausted his basic load of 600 boxed rounds, using magazines taken from disabled riflemen, which can be a life-saving virtue in intense battle. In addition, if the SAW is disabled, its ammunition can be distributed to the riflemen, allowing for no round to go unfired.

The SAW can be wielded in one of several configurations: it can be fired as a rifle from the shoulder, wherein it offers the accuracy of a standard battle rifle; as an automatic carbine from the hip, wherein it offers fully-automatic fire in a close-quarters situation; as a squad base-of-fire weapon, fired prone off its included bipod, which gives a squad quick fire superiority in a fire-fight; or as a supported machine gun, where it is equipped with a tripod, T&E (transversal and elevation) mechanism, and spare barrel, and offers sustained and powerful fire for the purpose of engaging and killing enemy assets.

One SAW is contained in every Marine fire team, giving each 4-man unit powerful and self-contained combative capacity. It is, so far as I am aware, used in smaller numbers by the Army. The SAW adds to the fire-team the effectiveness of many additional riflemen, while retaining mobility and adding additional versatility.

The SAW weighs about 15.16 pounds- or 6.88 kilograms- with bipod and tools. It is 40.87 inches- or 103.81 centimeters- in length. A 200-round box magazine weighs 6.92 pounds- 3.14 kilograms- when fully loaded. As such, a SAW gunner's basic weapons load- weapon and three boxes of ammunition- is approximately 36 pounds, a weight more then offset by its effectiveness.

The SAW is an effective and powerful weapon, offering point-target accuracy out to an effective range of 800 meters, area-target accuracy out to 1000 meters, and a maximum range of 3600 meters. It is fired solely in full-automatic, but three-round bursts are used to ensure accuracy and controllability. It has no prospects of replacement, nor does it require any. It has served with distinction in many recent conflicts, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

See also: FN M249 Para.

Primary source: Federation of American Scientists - www.fas.org

Saw (?),

imp. of See.

 

© Webster 1913.


Saw, n. [OE. sawe, AS. sagu; akin to secgan to say. See Say, v. t. and cf. Saga.]

1.

Something said; speech; discourse.

[Obs.] "To hearken all his sawe."

Chaucer.

2.

A saying; a proverb; a maxim.

His champions are the prophets and apostles, His weapons holy saws of sacred writ. Shak.

3.

Dictate; command; decree.

[Obs.]

[Love] rules the creatures by his powerful saw. Spenser.

 

© Webster 1913.


Saw, n. [OE. sawe, AS. sage; akin to D. zaag, G. sage, OHG. sega, saga, Dan. sav, sw. s�x86;g, Icel. sog, L. secare to cut, securis ax, secula sickle. Cf. Scythe, Sickle, Section, Sedge.]

An instrument for cutting or dividing substances, as wood, iron, etc., consisting of a thin blade, or plate, of steel, with a series of sharp teeth on the edge, which remove successive portions of the material by cutting and tearing.

Saw is frequently used adjectively, or as the first part of a compound.

Band saw, Crosscut saw, etc. See under Band, Crosscut, etc. -- Circular saw, a disk of steel with saw teeth upon its periphery, and revolved on an arbor. -- Saw bench, a bench or table with a flat top for for sawing, especially with a circular saw which projects above the table. -- Saw file, a three-cornered file, such as is used for sharpening saw teeth. -- Saw frame, the frame or sash in a sawmill, in which the saw, or gang of saws, is held. -- Saw gate, a saw frame. -- Saw gin, the form of cotton gin invented by Eli Whitney, in which the cotton fibers are drawn, by the teeth, of a set of revolving circular saws, through a wire grating which is too fine for the seeds to pass. -- Saw grass Bot., any one of certain cyperaceous plants having the edges of the leaves set with minute sharp teeth, especially the Cladium effusum of the Southern United States. Cf. Razor grass, under Razor. -- Saw log, a log of suitable size for sawing into lumber. -- Saw mandrel, a mandrel on which a circular saw is fastened for running. -- Saw pit, a pit over which timbor is sawed by two men, one standing below the timber and the other above. Mortimer. -- Saw sharpener Zool., the great titmouse; -- so named from its harsh call note. [Prov. Eng.] -- Saw whetter Zool., the marsh titmouse (Parus palustris); -- so named from its call note. [Prov. Eng.] -- Scroll saw, a ribbon of steel with saw teeth upon one edge, stretched in a frame and adapted for sawing curved outlines; also, a machine in which such a saw is worked by foot or power.

 

© Webster 1913.


Saw (?), v. t. [imp. Sawed (?); p. p. SawedSawn (); p. pr. & vb. n. Sawing.]

1.

To cut with a saw; to separate with a saw; as, to saw timber or marble.

2.

To form by cutting with a saw; as, to saw boards or planks, that is, to saw logs or timber into boards or planks; to saw shingles; to saw out a panel.

3.

Also used figuratively; as, to saw the air.

 

© Webster 1913.


Saw, v. i.

1.

To use a saw; to practice sawing; as, a man saws well.

2.

To cut, as a saw; as, the saw or mill saws fast.

3.

To be cut with a saw; as, the timber saws smoothly.

 

© Webster 1913.

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