Word.ws English Dictionary

Geddes Axe

Geddes Axe noun: any process tending to eliminate non-essential elements.

Noun

Geddes Axe

  1. (UK) Any process tending to eliminate non-essential elements
    • The necessity for its maker, if he wishes to remain in business, to produce an efficient machine which shall at the same time be cheap, and therefore must be as simple as possible, has acted as a kind of "Geddes' Axe," (sic) sweeping away a number of inessential contrivances […]1923, Rupert T. Gould, The Marine Chronometer, Holland Press, published 1960, page 209

Origin of Geddes Axe

From Sir Eric Geddes, who chaired a UK government committee charged with finding unprecedented spending cuts in the 1920s.

Questions about Geddes Axe

What does Geddes Axe mean?
Geddes Axe means any process tending to eliminate non-essential elements.
What part of speech is Geddes Axe?
Geddes Axe is a noun.

Words near Geddes Axe in the dictionary

  1. gedatolisib
  2. GEDCOM
  3. gedd
  4. gedda wax
  5. Geddes
  6. Geddes Axe
  7. geddic acid
  8. geddid
  9. Geddie
  10. Geddies
  11. Geddington

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: Geddes Axe (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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