I think it can, but not exclusively:
Hew \Hew\, v. t.
1. To cut with an ax; to fell with a sharp instrument;
3. To cut in pieces; to chop; to hack.
Thus "hew" can mean to cut down, as in a tree, but it can mean just to cut without necessarily cutting all the way through.
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I admit it is better fun to punt than be punted, and that a desire to have all the fun is nine-tenths of the law of chivalry.
Lord Peter Wimsey
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