cutn.¹

Brit.

/kʌt/, U.S.

/kət/

Forms: Also cutt, cutte.

Etymology: Origin and original sense uncertain. This has been usually regarded as merely a special use of cut n.² (under which it is still treated in recent dictionaries); but to this identification two considerations are opposed. First, cut ‘the act or result of cutting’ is (like such verbal derivatives generally) a word only of Modern English, known from the 16th cent., while cut ‘lot’ goes back before 1300, standing quite alone without any sense of cut n.² to explain or support it. Secondly, in Middle English, in the verb cut v. and its past participle, the forms kyt , kit , ket are of constant occurrence, but no such spellings are found for this word, only cut , cutt (cutte ). The latter circumstance opposes also any such suggestion as that cut ‘lot’ is an absolute use of the past participle meaning ‘the cut stick or straw’, ‘the cut or marked thing drawn’, a use which would besides be very difficult to admit at so early a date. There is no cognate word, and no derivative from any word meaning ‘cutting’, used in the other Germanic languages; in these the word lot n., with its cognates, is the native term. It is evident that drawing cuts has been from the 13th cent. a more popular form of sortilege, or a more popular and colloquial expression for it, than ‘casting lots’. Welsh has cwt ‘a little piece, a cut, a gobbet, a lot’ (Silvan Evans); cwt lot occurs in Salesbury's translation of the Bible, 1520; and the word has in Welsh the derivatives cwtws lot, lottery-ticket, share, cwtysyn lot, ticket; but it may be from English.

a. = lot n.: in the phrase to draw cuts, originally to draw (or lay) cut, applied to a ready way of casting lots, by the chance drawing of sticks or straws of unequal length.The simplest and most usual way is to take as many bits of straw, stick, or the like, as there are persons concerned, one of these bits being shorter (or it may be longer) than the others; these being held so that one end only is exposed, each person draws one of the bits for himself, and he who chances to draw the bit differing in length is the person to whom the lot falls. In later use each bit is called a cut, but in earlier use the decisive bit appears as the ‘cut’.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > types of choice > [noun] > choosing by casting lots > object used in

lotOE

cuta1340

sortc1400

α. To draw (lay) cut.

a1340 R. Rolle Psalter xxi. 18 On my clathe þai laid kut.

c1386 G. Chaucer Pardoner's Tale 465–7 I rede, that cut among us alle We drawe, and let se wher the cut wil falle; And he that hath the cut, with herte blithe Schal renne to the toun.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 16699 A-bute his kirtel drou þai cutt.

c1440 York Myst. xxxv. 293 I rede we drawe cutte for þis coote.

c1440 York Myst. xxxv. 295 The schorte cutte schall wynne.

1483 Cath. Angl. 88 To drawe Cutte, sortiri.

1533 T. More Apol. xxxvii, in Wks. 903/1 Let them draw cut betwene them.

β. To draw cuts.1516 Lyfe St. Birgette in Kalendre Newe Legende Eng. (Pynson) f. cxxx^v They drewe Cuttes amonge theym, whiche of theym shulde be kyllyd.1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 526/2 I drawe lottes, or drawe cuttes, as folkes do for sporte, je joue au court festu [short straw].a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. xiv. sig. Y3 My daughter Mopsa..may draw cuts, & the shortest cut speake first.1600 Maydes Metamorphosis iv. sig. F2 Sil. Whether shall begin his note. Ge. Draw cuttes. Sil. Content, the longest shall begin.a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) v. i. 426. 1652 R. Brome Joviall Crew iii. sig. H4 I am pussell'd in the choice. Would some sworne Brother..were here to draw a Cut with me.1653 I. Walton Compl. Angler 75 I think it is best to draw cuts and avoid contention..Look, the shortest Cut fals to Coridon.1745 J. Swift Direct. to Servants 11 Who is to stay at home is to be determined by short and long Cuts.1855 C. Kingsley Westward Ho! (1861) 300 We three will draw cuts for the honour of going with him.

†b. The drawing or casting of lots: †with or by cut, by lot. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > types of choice > [noun] > choosing by casting lots

lotOE

cutc1325

sortc1386

sortition1597

sortilege1600

ballotinga1618

sortilegy1643

ballota1680

sortilegium1858

c1325 (?a1200) Leges Quatuor Burgorum (Ayr) liv, in Acts Parl. Scotl. (1844) I. 343/1 Et sciendum est quod stallangiator nullo tempore potest habere loth cut neque cavyl de aliquo mercimonio cum burgense.

a1340 R. Rolle Psalter xv. 6 Strengis..fell as wiþ kut.

a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1957) i. viii. 27 Be cut or kavill that pled sone partit was.

1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) I. 39 Be cut and cavill than till his part fell he.

†2. (One's) lot, fate, fortune; fate or fortune as a ruler of events. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > necessity > fate or destiny as determining events > [noun]

weirdc888

whatec1200

fortunea1300

cuta1340

destinyc1374

fatec1374

destin1590

jade1594

fatalitya1631

ananke1860

the mind > will > necessity > fate or destiny as determining events > [noun] > that which is ordained by fate > personal destiny or one's lot

lotOE

chance1297

fallc1300

weirds1320

cuta1340

fatec1374

vie1377

parta1382

foredoom1563

event1577

allotment1586

fatality1589

kincha1600

lines1611

fortunea1616

dispensation1704

a1340 R. Rolle Psalter xxx. 18 In þi hend [are] my kuttes.

1423 Kingis Quair cxlv Hir that has the cuttis two In hand, both of ȝour wele and of ȝour wo.

?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 1367 To þe couent he him putt, In religioun to proue his cutt.

?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 6744 To england fell' a sary cutt.

1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid i. iii. 76 Quhilk is by cutt gevin me to bair in hand.

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 211/2 Cutte or lotte, sort.

1635 E. Pagitt Christianogr. (1646) i. 206 You see..how fortunate a cut those Gods have given us, whom wee robbed.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

cutn.²

Brit.

/kʌt/, U.S.

/kət/

Etymology: In branches I–V < cut v.; in VI elliptical use of the past participle; in VIII the word may be distinct, since the phrase occurs about or before 1400, while the noun otherwise appears only in the 16th cent.

I. Act of cutting.

1. literal.

ΘΠ

the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > cutting > [noun]

bita1000

kerfc1000

slittingc1175

carving?c1225

chop1362

cuttinga1398

hacking1398

scissure?a1425

garsingc1440

racing?a1450

incision1474

secting1507

raze1530

chopping1548

scotching1551

hackling1564

slashing1596

carbonadoing1599

kinsing1599

insection1653

secation1656

scission1676

gash1694

inciding1694

haggling1761

cut1808

shear1809

carve1888

1808 Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 25 June 997 The speech is all whet and no cut. It is merely flummery.

1841 J. W. Loudon Ladies' Compan. to Flower Garden 81 The shoot should be cut off with what gardeners call a clean cut.

a. A stroke or blow with a sharp-edged instrument, as a knife, sword, etc.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > [noun] > stroke with sharp weapon

draughtc1320

chop1362

reverse1490

slash1576

riverso1595

cuta1616

the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > [noun] > blow struck with an object or instrument > with a sharp instrument

chop1362

weffea1400

slash1576

slashing1596

cuta1616

slap1688

streak1725

a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) iii. ii. 181 Through this, the wel-beloued Brutus stabb'd..This was the most vnkindest cut of all.

1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 73 Seeing him give the Fellow a barbarous Cut with the Hatchet.

1889 J. A. Froude Two Chiefs Dunboy v. 55 His face..had been disfigured by a sabre cut.

b. Fencing and Sword exercise. A slashing blow or stroke given with the edge of the weapon (distinguished from a thrust given with the point).

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > [noun] > stroke with edge of weapon

cut1593

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > fencing > [noun] > actions

buttc1330

overheadc1400

stopc1450

quarter-strokea1456

rabbeta1500

rakea1500

traverse1547

flourish1552

quarter-blow1555

veny1578

alarm1579

venue1591

cut1593

time1594

caricado1595

fincture1595

imbroccata1595

mandritta1595

punta riversa1595

remove1595

stramazon1595

traversa1595

imbrocado1597

passado1597

counter-time1598

foinery1598

canvasado1601

montant1601

punto1601

stock1602

embrocadoc1604

pass1604

stuck1604

stramazo1606

home thrust1622

longee1625

falsify?1635

false1637

traversion1637

canvassa1641

parade1652

flanconade1664

parry1673

fore-stroke1674

allonge1675

contretemps1684

counter1684

disengaging1684

feint1684

passing1687

under-counter1687

stringere1688

stringering1688

tempo1688

volte1688

overlapping1692

repost1692

volt-coupe1692

volting1692

disarm?1700

stamp1705

passade1706

riposte1707

swoop1711

retreat1734

lunge1748

beat1753

disengage1771

disengagement1771

opposition1771

time thrust1771

timing1771

whip1771

shifting1793

one-two1809

one-two-three1809

salute1809

estramazone1820

remise1823

engage1833

engaging1833

risposta1838

lunging1847

moulinet1861

reprise1861

stop-thrust1861

engagement1881

coupé1889

scrape1889

time attack1889

traverse1892

cut-over1897

tac-au-tac riposte1907

flèche1928

replacement1933

punta dritta1961

1593 G. Harvey Pierces Supererogation 140 Cuttes, slashes, and foines.

1833 Regulations Instr. Cavalry i. iv. 148 Each ‘Cut’ has its ‘Guard’.

1841 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop ii. lvi. 112 The broad-sword exercise with all the cuts and guards complete.

c. cut and thrust: (a) as n., the act of cutting and thrusting; hand-to-hand struggle; (b) as adj. (the words being hyphenated), adapted for both cutting and thrusting; addicted to or connected with cutting and thrusting; also figurative; (c) elliptical = cut-and-thrust sword.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > [noun] > carrying out specific processes > cutting out

cut and thrust1761

cutting-out1819

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > sharp weapon > side arms > sword > [adjective] > cut-and-thrust sword

cut and thrust1761

society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > cut or thrust with sword > [noun] > action of striking or fighting with sword

lashingc1400

foining1523

rapier and dagger1571

blading1577

cut and thrust1840

swording1891

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > fencing > [noun] > types of

case of falchions1489

foils1600

quarte and tierce1785

cut and thrust1840

sabre1954

society > society and the community > dissent > contention or strife > [noun]

i-winc888

wrestlingc890

fightc1000

flitec1000

teenOE

winOE

ungrithlOE

wara1200

cockingc1225

strife?c1225

strivingc1275

struta1300

barratc1300

thro1303

battlec1375

contentionc1384

tuggingc1440

militationa1460

sturtc1480

bargain1487

bargaining1489

distrifea1500

concertation1509

hold1523

conflict1531

ruffle1532

tangling1535

scamblingc1538

tuilyie1550

bustling1553

tilt1567

ruffling1570

wresting1570

certationc1572

pinglinga1578

reluctation1593

combating1594

yoking1594

bandying1599

tention1602

contrast1609

colluctation1611

contestationa1616

dimication1623

rixation1623

colluctance1625

decertation1635

conflicting1640

contrasto1645

dispute1647

luctation1651

contest1665

stickle1665

contra-colluctation1674

contrasting1688

struggle1706

yed1719

widdle1789

scrambling1792

cut and thrust1846

headbutting1869

push-and-pull1881

contending1882

thrust and parry1889

aggro1973

1761 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy III. iv. 15 Pell mell, helter skelter, ding dong, cut and thrust..have they been trimming it [sc. a jerkin] for me.

1840 W. M. Thackeray Catherine i He-devils, sword and pistol, cut and thrust, pell-mell came tumbling into the redoubt!

1843 E. Bulwer-Lytton Last of Barons I. i. iii. 47 Thank you,..but I leave cut and thrust to the gentles.

1846 G. Grote Hist. Greece I. i. ii. 100 The cut and thrust of actual life.

1763 Brit. Mag. 4 301 My sword with a cut-and-thrust blade.1820 W. Scott Abbot I. iv. 104 The word, sword, comprehended all descriptions, whether back-sword or basket-hilt, cut-and-thrust or rapier.1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby ix. 85 That..scowl with which the cut-and-thrust counts in melo-dramatic performances inform each other they will meet again.1871 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues IV. 491 The short cut and thrust method of Socrates.

a. A sharp stroke or blow with a whip, cane, etc.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of striking with specific blunt weapon > [noun] > stroke with specific blunt weapon

scutch1611

jordan1699

cut1725

the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > [noun] > blow struck with an object or instrument > with something pliant

lashc1330

lashingc1400

jerking1552

jerk1555

whipping1577

slive1589

whissc1590

scutch1611

scutching1611

switchinga1640

cut1787

sliver1806

switch1809

welt1863

score1882

1725 New Canting Dict. I took him a Cut cross the Shoulders.

1787 ‘G. Gambado’ Acad. Horsemen 21 A good smart cut over his [sc. the horse's] right cheek and eye.

1833 H. Martineau Manch. Strike (new ed.) iii. 29 A cut across the knuckles with his riding-whip.

1885 R. F. Burton tr. Arabian Nights' Entertainm. I. xxxii. 334 He sentenced him to receive an hundred cuts with the scourge.

b. plural. Corporal punishment, esp. of schoolchildren. Australian and New Zealand slang.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > punishment > corporal punishment > [noun]

corporal punishment1581

toco1823

cuts1915

1915 Bulletin (Sydney) 28 Oct. 47/1 ‘Six cuts yer give him,’ roared the whiskers... The stick emphasized the last remark by a rapid descent on the meek one's shoulders.

1938 P. Lawlor House of Templemore xi. 123 'Urry or yer'l git th' cuts.

1945 F. Sargeson When Wind Blows ii. 14 [You] would get the cuts for sure.

1963 D. Adsett Magpie Sings 57 If anyone was careless enough to use the wrong peg, their coat, hat and bag could be thrown to the floor without fear of getting the cuts.

4. figurative. An act whereby the feelings are deeply wounded, as a sarcasm, an act of unkindness, etc.; a severe disaster or misfortune; a blow, shock.

ΘΠ

the mind > emotion > suffering > mental anguish or torment > cause of mental anguish or torment > [noun]

roodOE

thornc1230

prickc1384

rack?a1425

travailerc1450

goading1548

twinge1548

goad1553

tormentor1553

cut1568

stingera1577

butcher1579

torture1612

bosom-devil1651

wound1844

knife-edge1876

nemesis1933

the world > action or operation > adversity > calamity or misfortune > [noun] > misfortune or ill-luck > instance of misfortune or ill-luck > severe or sudden

shake1565

cut1568

dash1580

knock1649

shock1654

blow1678

stroke1686

black eye1712

1568 C. Watson tr. Polybius Hystories f. 65 The Romans..acknowledged this their simple cutte and sore repulse.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) i. ii. 158.

1631 R. Bolton Instr. Right Comf. Affl. Consciences 15 A most cruell cut to a troubled conscience.

1766 Goody Two-Shoes (1881) ii. vii. 136 This was a Cut to a Man of his imperious Disposition.

1889 E. Bagshaw Advent Pastoral 17 Contemptuous cuts and disparaging words.

5. An excision or omission of a part.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > non-fiction > summary or epitome > [noun] > excision

cut1604

amputation1740

excision1858

1604 T. Middleton Ant & Nightingale sig. D2^v He must venture..to the Bankside, where he must sit out the breaking vp of a Comedie, or the first cut of a Tragedie.

1781 R. B. Sheridan Critic ii. ii Hey day! here's a cut! What, are all the mutual protestations out?

1880 Sat. Rev. 1 May 568 The piece..will perhaps have a still better effect if the cuts which we have suggested are made.

6. The act of ‘cutting down’; a reduction in rates or prices; also, a reduction in wages, supplies, services, etc. Originally U.S.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > instance of

downfall1654

fall1792

drop1847

cut1881

degrowth1920

step-down1922

rollback1942

society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > fluctuation in price > [noun] > decline in prices > cutting prices > a cut in prices

cut1881

markdown1897

1881 Chicago Times 17 June Supplemented by a still further ‘cut’ of two cents.

1888 Times 13 Nov. 5/1 (Philadelphia) Stocks declined to-day because of a radical cut in the freight rates between Chicago and the sea-board.

1921 Daily Herald 29 Apr. 1/4 The L.C.C. do not contemplate any immediate cuts in their tramway service.

1946 Daily Tel. 27 Mar. A statement of unusual gloom emanated from the Food Ministry..prophesying a fresh ‘cut’ in the soap and margarine rations.

1968 R. Harris Nice Girl's Story ii. 14 The gas..flickered blue and cold. ‘There's some kind of a cut, I think.’

1971 Daily Tel. 18 Feb. 15/2 It is still not known how much next year's cut of 10,000 in the total of 180,000 assisted passages..will affect candidates from Britain.

7. The act of ‘cutting’ by a horse: see cut v. 27: the part of the leg injured by cutting.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of horses > [noun] > disorders of legs > cutting > part of leg cut

cut1688

the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of horses > [noun] > disorders of legs > cutting

speedy cut1692

swift cut1725

swish cut1725

cut1831

1688 London Gaz. No. 2376/4 A brown Gelding..cuts on the Speedy cut of both his Fore-Legs.

1831 W. Youatt Horse xiii. 245 The inside of the leg, immediately under the knee..is subject to injury from what is termed the speedy cut.

8. Cards. The act of cutting a pack of cards; the card obtained by cutting. †new cut n. name of some card game (obsolete).

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > [noun] > actions or tactics > dealing, cutting, or shuffling

shuffling1579

deal1607

shuffle1651

lifting1674

cut1729

misdeal1797

riffle1862

ruffle1872

long deal1893

handout1904

1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes Trinca, a game at cards called swig or new cut.

1729 J. Swift Jrnl. Dublin Lady 6 How can the Muse..in harmonious Numbers put the Deal, the Shuffle, and the Cut?

1860 ‘Capt. Crawley’ Handy Bk. Games 324 Should a card be exposed, there must be a fresh cut, the dealer having the option of shuffling them before the next cut. Not fewer than four cards are considered a cut.

9. A step in dancing: see cut v. 30.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > dancing > movements or steps > [noun] > step > other steps

reprise1521

double1531

reprinse1531

single1531

hop1579

cross-pointa1592

trip1601

back-tricka1616

inturna1627

shorta1652

coupee1673

cut1676

fleuret1677

bourrée step or pas de bourrée1706

contretemps1706

cross-step1728

boring1775

pigeon wing1807

pas de basque1818

cross-cut1842

flicflac1852

buckle-covering1859

reverse1888

reversing1892

cross-stepping1893

box step1914

jump turn1924

moonwalk1969

coupé-

1676 G. Etherege Man of Mode v. ii. 94 No one woman is worth the loss of a Cut in a Caper.

1751 T. Smollett Peregrine Pickle I. xvi. 119 Performed sundry new cuts with his feet.

1842 C. Dickens Amer. Notes I. vi. 218 Single shuffle, double shuffle, cut and cross-cut.

1892 Mrs. H. Ward David Grieve I. 175 David stopped his cut and shuffle.

10. A particular stroke in various games with balls:

a. Cricket. The stroke described s.v. cut v. 31a.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > batting > [noun] > types of stroke

long ball1744

nip1752

catch1816

no-hit1827

cut1833

short hit1833

draw1836

drive1836

square hit1837

skylarker1839

skyer1840

skyscraper1842

back-cut1845

bum1845

leg sweep1846

slog1846

square cut1850

driver1851

Harrow drive1851

leg slip1852

poke1853

snick1857

snorter1859

leg stroke1860

smite1861

on-drive1862

bump ball1864

rocketer1864

pull1865

grass trimmer1867

late cut1867

off-drive1867

spoon1871

push1873

push stroke1873

smack1875

Harrow drive1877

pull-stroke1880

leg glance1883

gallery-hit1884

boundary-stroke1887

glide1888

sweep1888

boundary1896

hook1896

leg glide1896

backstroke1897

flick1897

hook stroke1897

cover-drive1898

straight drive1898

square drive1900

edger1905

pull-drive1905

slash1906

placing stroke1907

push drive1912

block shot1915

if-shot1920

placing shot1921

cow-shot1922

mow1925

Chinese cut1937

haymaker1954

hoick1954

perhapser1954

air shot1956

steepler1959

mishook1961

swish1963

chop-

1833 Gentleman's Mag. July 44/2 Beldham was great in every hit, but his peculiar glory was the cut.

1855 ‘Stonehenge’ Man. Brit. Rural Sports (1868) 568 The main difference is between the perpendicular cut to leg and the horizontal one to off side.

1888 R. H. Lyttelton in A. G. Steel & R. H. Lyttelton Cricket (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) ii. 61 The real genuine cut goes to the left side of point..When the player is well in..he very often makes..a clean cut; that is to say, he hits with a bat quite horizontal to the ball, and not over it.

b. Tennis. The stroke described s.v. cut v. 31b; also the ‘screw’ put on the ball by this stroke.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > lawn tennis > [noun] > types of stroke

service1611

serving1688

screw1865

cut1874

cutting service1874

boast1878

first serve1878

smash1882

twister1884

cross-shot1889

lob1890

ground stroke1895

lob ball1900

twist service1901

boasting1902

cross-volley1905

get1911

chop1913

forehander1922

kick serve1925

forehand1934

touch shot1936

dink1939

net shot1961

overhead1964

groundie1967

slice1969

moonball1975

moonballing1977

1874 Field 15 Aug. Good balls always bound, except when they have that cut on which W. H. E. evidently dislikes.

1878 J. Marshall Lawn Tennis 37 The cut will also be found very useful in the service.

c. Croquet. A stroke in which a ball is driven away obliquely by another ball.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > croquet > [noun] > types of stroke

following stroke1837

rush1868

stop-stroke1868

cut1874

cut-over1874

jump-stroke1874

take-off1874

tice1874

passing croquet1877

split1896

split stroke1897

passing stroke1901

jump shot1909

Hong Kong1957

split shot1975

1874 J. D. Heath Compl. Croquet-player 33 More force will be required to send a ball a given distance by a cut, than when it is rushed in a straight line.

Categories »

d. Rackets. A ball served so that it strikes upon or below the ‘cut-line’, which is a fault.

11. Gunsmithing. Each of the various processes through which the several limbs of the gun pass.

ΚΠ

1881 W. W. Greener Gun & its Devel. 270 In some arms upwards of 1,000 separate cuts have to be made to complete each gun, to say nothing of drilling the various holes.

12. colloquial.

a. The act of ‘cutting’ or refusing to recognize an acquaintance.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > discourtesy > [noun] > lack of affability > refusal to recognize a person

cut1798

1798 Monthly Mag. in Spirit of Public Jrnls. (1799) 2 382 The cutter either walked smartly by, pretending not to see the cuttee; or, if he wished to make the cut more complete, looked him full in the face.

1829 Travelled Monkey in A. Cunningham Anniversary 133 That look which London calls a cut, Our traveller on his cousin put.

1848 W. M. Thackeray Bk. Snobs ii. 5 We met, and gave each other the cut direct that night.

1856 C. Merivale Hist. Romans under Empire V. xliv. 169 The Cut, the resource of sullenness and shyness, is, I believe, a strictly English institution.

b. Intentional absence from or deliberate omission to attend (an event). Cf. cut v. 33c.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > place > absence > [noun] > absenting oneself

absenting1447

truanting1532

absentment1600

absentation1800

cut1851

1851 B. H. Hall Coll. College Words 90 Cut, an omission of a recitation.

1856 Coll. College Words (ed. 2) 147 Cuts. When a class [at Bowdoin College] for any reason become dissatisfied with one of the Faculty, they absent themselves from his recitation, as an expression of their feelings.

1915 Dial. Notes 4 233 Cut, unexcused absence from class.

1919 W. T. Grenfell Labrador Doctor (1920) ii. 22 Attendance at chapel was compulsory, and no ‘cuts’ were allowed.

13. (See quot. 1879.)

1879 Scribner's Monthly 19 327/1 Often in storms a strong swift current runs along the coast between the outer bar and the shore, called by the surfmen the ‘set’ or ‘cut’.

†14. Irish History. A levy of money, a tax, an impost: cf. cut v. 35. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > impost, due, or tax > tax > [noun]

tacka1300

taxa1327

tail1340

stent138.

emption1467

duty1474

stint1485

teamc1485

liverage1544

stipend1545

toust1574

sess1579

cut1634

censure1641

gild1656

leviation1681

levation1690

1634–5 Stat. Ireland (1765) II. 169 To that end doe make cuts, levies and plotments upon themselves to pay them.

15. Cinematography. A quick transition from one shot to the next (see also quot. 1940). Cf. cut v. 21e.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > filming > special effect > [noun] > cut

cutting1921

quick cut1932

cut1933

cutaway1951

jump cut1953

match cut1961

1933 I. Dalrymple in A. Brunel Filmcraft 174 Don't ignore the stunt or effect cut.

1933 M. Hankinson in A. Brunel Filmcraft 225 A cut is always made between the second and third sprocket-holes of a frame..on the action and parallel on the track..because..the ordinary joining machine loses two sprocket-holes on each bit of film it joins.

1940 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 217/2 Cut, the junction between one strip of continuous film of motion-picture and the next.

1944 S. Cole Film Editing 10 In similar circumstances such a cut would be acceptable even without any sound at all.

1959 Viewpoint July 19 A straight ‘cut’ instead of the conventional ‘fade’ helped to achieve a startling visual jerk.

1961 G. Millerson Technique Television Production 298 The cut is the simplest transition—an immediate change from one shot to the next.

II. A passageway.

16.

a. A passage, course, or way straight across; esp. as opposed to going round a corner or by a circuitous route. Also concrete, and figurative.

ΘΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > a straight course > [noun]

cut1577

forthright1609

airline1813

beeline1828

crow-fly1846

crow-flight1875

society > travel > means of travel > route or way > [noun] > straight or direct > short cut

the (occasionally your, etc.) next wayc1330

cut1577

near cut1612

short cut1619

overcut1636

cross-cut1800

cut-off1806

quick cut1890

1577 W. Harrison Hist. Descr. Islande Brit. i. i. f. 1/2, in R. Holinshed Chron. I The shortest & most vsuall cut that we haue out of our Iland to the maine, is from Douer..vnto Calice.

1591 H. Savile tr. Tacitus Ende of Nero: Fower Bks. Hist. i. 19 Tired and sick with so long a cut [L. longa navigatione].

1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. xxxii. xxiii. 824 Whence the passage over to Corinth is a cut [L. trajectus] almost of seven miles.

1637 T. Heywood Dial. xv, in Wks. (1874) VI. 233 So long a cut Must I take pains to waft thee.

1831 A. W. Fonblanque Eng. under Seven Admin. (1837) II. 174 The cut across the fields is shut up.

1883 J. Parker Tyne Chylde 273 One of those rhetoricians who would take any cut to a climax.

b. esp. in short cut, a crossing that shortens the distance. abstract and concrete, literal and figurative.

ΘΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > [noun] > a quick method

compendium1581

short cut1589

1589 R. Greene Menaphon sig. H3 He..hauing the winde fauourable made a short cut.

a1593 C. Marlowe Tragicall Hist. Faustus (1604) sig. B2 The shortest cut for coniuring Is stoutly to abiure the Trinitie.

1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 63 The shortest cut into Greece.

a1657 W. Burton Comm. Antoninus his Itinerary (1658) 114 The way is not alwaies by the shortest cut.

1866 Duke of Argyll Reign of Law vii. 362 There are no short cuts in Nature.

1888 J. W. Burgon Lives Twelve Good Men II. xi. 311 A short cut across the fields..was made for the convenience of the inhabitants.

c. Also near cut. (Still common in Scottish)

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > means of travel > route or way > [noun] > straight or direct > short cut

the (occasionally your, etc.) next wayc1330

cut1577

near cut1612

short cut1619

overcut1636

cross-cut1800

cut-off1806

quick cut1890

1612 Bp. J. Hall Contempl. I. ii. viii. 408 Hee..now leades them the nearest cut to Iericho.

1677 E. Browne Acct. Trav. Germany 2 The nearest cut out of England into Holland is from Laistoffe Point to Gravesandt.

1783 Ainsworth's Thes. Linguæ Latinæ (new ed.) iv. at Anaxagoras There is a near cut to heaven from every place.

1801 ‘Gabrielli’ Mysterious Husband II. 135 He set forward, taking, for expedition, all the nearest cuts.

1803 M. Venzee Fate 42 The old man..had arrived before me, by a nearer cut in the wood.

III. A manner of shaping or styling, and related uses.

17.

a. The shape to which, or style in which a thing is cut; fashion, shape (of clothes, hair, etc.). spec. Short for haircut n., used esp. with defining word.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > [noun] > to which something is cut

cut1578

the mind > attention and judgement > fashionableness > [noun] > a particular fashion

cut1578

trink?1578

chic1970

the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the hair > styles of hair > [noun] > cut or cropped

roundinga1582

stumps1584

stubs1607

trim1608

tonsure1650

committee cut1691

rasure1737

crop1795

county crop1839

flat-top1859

prison cropc1863

clip1889

Dartmoor crop1930

razor cut1940

prison haircut1948

scissor cut1948

cut1951

pudding basin1951

short back and sides1965

1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 63 With costlye attire of the new cutte.

a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) ii. vii. 155 With eyes seuere, and beard of formall cut .

1678 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. i. 15 You see how the files of several cuts succeed one other.

c1684 Frost of 1683–4. 19 The cuts were diamond, the substance ice.

1751 S. Johnson Rambler No. 138. ⁋5 Wearing a gown always of the same cut and colour.

1805 Naval Chron. 15 125 From the cut of her sails an enemy.

1883 S. C. Hall Retrospect Long Life II. 187 A broad-brimmed hat and coat of Quakerish cut.

1951 N. Marsh Opening Night iv. 90 I'm a shoulder-length natural ash-blonde and I've had to have an urchin cut and go black.

1953 Encycl. Brit. Bk. of Year 639/2 Fashion produced the Pony-Tail and the Poodle-Cut, two hairstyles for women.

1960 Sunday Express 14 Aug. 12/4 The short cut..was made for me.

1960 Sunday Express 23 Oct. 14/3 One guinea for a ‘cut’.

b. figurative. Fashion, style, make.

ΘΠ

the world > relative properties > kind or sort > [noun] > of construction or composition

shaft888

makea1325

suitc1330

makinga1398

mark1482

inventiona1513

workmanship1578

cut1590

model1597

mould1667

fashioning1870

Mk.1921

1590 ‘Pasquil’ First Pt. Pasquils Apol. sig. C2^v A right cutte of the worde, without gigges or fancies.

1602–3 Manningham in Eng. Illustr. Mag. Mar. (1884) 368/2 A young gallant, but of a short cutt.

1628 W. Prynne Vnlouelinesse of Louelockes 25 Others of the common ranke and cut.

1740 S. Richardson Pamela II. 208 My good Mother was one of this old-fashion'd Cut.

1856 J. W. Carlyle Lett. II. 307 These Londoners are all of the cut of this woman.

c. the cut of one's jib: one's general appearance or look. slang, originally nautical: see jib n.¹

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > [noun]

onseneeOE

bleea1000

shapeOE

ylikeOE

laitc1175

semblanta1225

sightc1275

fare1297

showingc1300

specea1325

parelc1330

guise1340

countenance1362

semblance?a1366

apparel1377

regardc1380

apparencec1384

imagec1384

spicec1384

overseeminga1398

kenninga1400

seemingc1400

visage1422

rinda1450

semenauntc1450

'pearance1456

outwardc1475

representation1489

favour?a1500

figurea1522

assemblant1523

prospect?1533

respect1535

visure1545

perceiverance1546

outwardshine1549

species1559

utter-shape1566

look1567

physiognomy1567

face1572

paintry1573

visor1575

mienc1586

superficies?1589

behaviour1590

aspect1594

complexion1597

confrontment1604

show1604

aira1616

beseeminga1616

formality1615

resemblancea1616

blush1620

upcomea1630

presentment1637

scheme1655

sensation1662

visibility1669

plumage1707

facies1727

remark1748

extrinsica1797

exterior1801

showance1820

the cut of one's jib1823

personnel1839

personal appearance1842

what-like1853

look-see1898

outwall1933

visuality1938

prosopon1947

1823 R. Southey in C. C. Southey Life & Corr. R. Southey (1850) V. 144 Their likeability, which depends something upon the cut of their jib.

1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple I. ii. 20 I see you're a sailor by the cut of your jib.

1881 R. Buchanan God & Man ii. iii I like the cut of your jib less than ever.

18. Phrase. a cut above (some person or thing): a degree or stage above. colloquial.

ΚΠ

1797 C. Lamb Let. 24 June in Lett. C. & M. A. Lamb (1975) I. 112 There is much abstruse science in it above my cut.]

1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian iv, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. II. 84 Robertson is rather a cut abune me.

1842 F. Marryat Percival Keene I. i. 5 She was..a cut above the housekeeper in the still-room.

1891 L. B. Walford Mischief of Monica xi The girl herself is a cut below par.

IV. The result, effect, or product of cutting.

19. An opening in a surface made by a sharp-edged instrument, an incision; a wound made by cutting, a gash.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > [noun] > wound > cut

carfa1000

seamc1400

slapc1480

gap?a1500

gash1528

cut1530

scarification?1541

chopping1558

slash1580

slaughter1592

snip1600

hacka1610

sluice1648

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 211/2 Cutte, a wounde, covppevre.

1557 Bible (Whittingham) Matt. ix. 16 The cutte is made worse.

1618 N. Field Amends for Ladies iii. sig. E4 How come they by such Cuts and glashes?

1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 236 Two or three of the Men had Cuts in their Backs and Thighs.

1830 S. Cooper Dict. Pract. Surg. (ed. 6) 1269 When the wound is a common cut, the sides of the division ought to be brought in contact.

20. An incision made in the edge of a garment, etc., for ornament; a slash; a natural indentation, as in the edge of a leaf.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > part of plant > leaf > [noun] > part or side of

backsidec1392

cut1563

purl1626

ambitient1657

unguicle1657

verge1704

sinus1753

pagina1832

blade1835

crenel1835

biforine1842

underleaf1873

tentacle1875

bullation1882

leaf skin1974

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > trimmings or ornamentation > border or edging > parts of

dag1399

tag1402

tatter1402

jag1530

cut1563

Vandyke1827

tab1834

tabc1880

1563 2nd Tome Homelyes Excess of Apparel, in J. Griffiths Two Bks. Homilies (1859) ii. 313 While one spendeth his patrimony upon pounces and cuts.

1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball ii. lxxxiii. 261 Sauing that euery little leafe his cuttes are a great deale narrower.

1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing iii. iv. 18 Cloth a gold and cuts, and lac[']d with siluer.

1641 J. Milton Reason Church-govt. 23 She might go jagg'd in as many cuts and slashes as she pleas'd.

1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 302 The Habit..with..Cuts and Slashes almost on every Side.

21. A passage or channel:

a. An artificial watercourse cut or dug out; a channel, canal, cutting. (In common use in the Fen district in England.)

ΘΠ

the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > stream > [noun] > channel for conveyance of water

water leatOE

water lade1224

leat1279

watergang1293

sow1316

trough1398

wissinga1400

lanec1420

waterway1431

water leasow1440

watercoursea1450

fleam1523

lead1541

cut1548

aqueducta1552

lake1559

strand1565

race1570

channel1581

watergauge1597

gout1598

server1610

carriage1669

runnel1669

aquage1706

shoot1707

tewel1725

run1761

penstock1763

hulve1764

way-gang1766

culvert1774

flume1784

shute1790

pentrough1793

raceway1793

water carriage1793

carrier1794

conductor1796

water carrier1827

penchute1875

chute1878

by-cut1883

1548 Petit. of Sandwich in Boys Sandwich (1792) 735 To authorize the said mayor..and inhabitants..to cut out, newe erect and make one newe cutt into their said haven.

1570 Act 13 Eliz. c. 18 Preamb. The Leading and Passage of the said Water, thorough such a..Cut, as may serve for the Navigation of Barges.

1603 R. Knolles Gen. Hist. Turkes 89 Enuironed with a nauigable ditch or cut.

1697 Philos. Trans. 1695–7 (Royal Soc.) 19 344 Through these Fens run great Cuts or Dreyns.

1803 G. Rose Diaries (1860) II. 20 To make a..navigable cut from the Red Sea to the Nile.

1893 Act 36 & 37 Vict. c. 71 §58 Any watercourse, mill race, cut, leat, or other channel for conveying water..from any river.

†b. A natural narrow opening or passage by water; a channel or strait.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > water > sea or ocean > channel > [noun] > strait or narrow channel

sounda1300

straitc1386

narrowa1544

kyle1549

guta1552

distrait1562

fret1576

pacea1578

cut1598

narrow seas1615

Propontis1689

neck1719

tickle1770

rigolet1771

khal1903

1598 R. Grenewey tr. Tacitus Annales v. ii. 119 Hastning ouer the Toronæan and Thermæan cut, and passing by Eubœa.

1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. ii. 203 Mona whereof Cæsar maketh mention, in the mids of the cut..betweene Britaine and Ireland.

1642 T. Fuller Holy State ii. viii. 77 It were but a narrow cut to ferry over.

1678 tr. L. de Gaya Art of War ii. 102 The Castle of Salses, on the Cut of the Sea.

c. A creek or inlet. Now local.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > land > land mass > shore or bank > bend in coast > [noun] > inlet in river or sea

fleetc893

creekc1300

graina1400

updraught14..

armleta1552

land-featherc1582

indraught1596

inlet1596

vent1604

cut1630

re-entrant1893

1630 tr. G. Botero Relations Famous Kingdomes World (rev. ed.) 456 The Country is full of cuts and inlets from this River.

1727 Beverley Beck Act 1 A Creek or Cut, commonly called Beverley Beck.

1890 M. Townsend U.S.: Index to United States Amer. 137 Cut, used on the eastern shore of Florida as synonymous with inlet.

d. A passage cut as a roadway through a rock, wood, dense part of a city, etc.; a railway cutting.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > [noun] > cut through a wood or rock

trenchc1405

holleway?a1500

path1548

cut1730

hollow-way1765

score1790

shute1879

society > travel > rail travel > railway system or organization > [noun] > cutting

cutting1836

railway cutting1839

rock cut1841

cut1881

1730 H. Sloane in Philos. Trans. 1729–30 (Royal Soc.) 36 261 Having again continued our Journey under Ground in the Salt-work, we then found ourselves in the Cuts.

1789 Ess. Shooting (1791) 300 The sportsman may..watch at some opening, or cut which runs through the wood.

1881 Chicago Times 12 Mar. The snow is six feet in the cuts.

1881 Scribner's Monthly 22 528/2 On the left are cuts and tunnels.

e. Theatre. A narrow longitudinal opening, cut in the flooring of the stage, by which scenes are moved up and down.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > stage > [noun] > grooves for scenery

cut1859

groove1866

1859 G. A. Sala Gaslight & Daylight ii. 23 On this frame the scene to be painted is placed; and..worked up and down the cut as the painter may require.

1881 L. Wagner Pantomimes 55 The visitor will discern what are called the cuts in the flooring of the stage..When required these cuts are opened..for the passage of the scenes to be sent up.

22.

a. A design cut or engraved upon wood, copper, or steel; the impression from this; an engraving, a plate. Now restricted to engravings on wood (see woodcut n.), those on metal being called plates.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > printmaking > engraving > [noun] > an engraving

cut1646

sculpture1654

plate1663

engraving1803

1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica 258 Set forth in the Icons or Cuts of Martyrs by Cevallerius.

1662 J. Evelyn Sculptura iii. 23 The Invention of Copper-cuts, and their Impressions.

1662 J. Evelyn Sculptura iv. 84 With some other cuts in wood known by his mark..All those excellent Wood Cuts.

1695 London Gaz. No. 3131/3 The Cutts of the University..richly bound, and Printed in Folio at the Theatre.

1710 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1889) III. 17 The wooden Cutts of the actors.

1781 G. Crabbe Library 8 Bibles with cuts and comments.

1824 J. Johnson Typographia I. 253 The cuts to this edition are better executed.

1885 Mag. Art Sept. 449/1 A glance at our first two cuts will give an idea of their position.

b. A gramophone record or recording. Cf. cut v. 23d originally U.S.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > sound recording and reproduction > a sound recording > [noun] > record or disc

phonograph record1878

record1878

disc1879

gramophone record1888

title1908

platter1926

phonodisc1929

release1932

wax1932

plate1935

waxing1936

audio disc1944

cut1949

sounds1955

twelve-inch1976

vinyl1976

1949 Music Libr. Assoc. Notes Dec. 42 A recording artist cuts a master and the recording executive may reject the cut.

1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio 247 Cut,..one of several separately recorded bands..on a disc.

1970 New Yorker 12 Dec. 182/2 These two cuts, along with..‘Little Sadie’, showed promise of saying something interesting.

†23. A carving. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > sculpture or carving > [noun] > a sculpture or carving

graving1382

carvingc1384

similitudea1450

piece1579

insculpturea1616

sculpture1616

draught1646

cut1658

cutting1787

sculpc1845

mushroom stone1957

1658 Hist. Q. Christina 264 The Church of St. Francis..with noble statues, embossed works, and infinite cuts of Greeke marble.

V. A piece cut off.

24.

a. A piece of anything cut off; esp. of meat, a slice.

ΘΠ

the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > cut or piece of meat > [noun]

cut1591

lift1688

1591 R. Percyvall Bibliotheca Hispanica Dict. at Tajada A cut of flesh, a slice of bread.

1641 H. Peacham Worth of Peny 16 The worst and first cut, as of boild beefe.

1791 J. Boswell Life Johnson anno 1737 I. 49 [Johnson:] I had a cut of meat for six-pence, and bread for a penny.

1864 D. G. Mitchell Seven Stories 52 Perhaps we can take a cut off the same joint.

†b. A slice of meat as a slight meal. Cf. cold cuts n. at cold adj. Compounds 4. U.S. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > cut or piece of meat > [noun] > slice or strip of meat

randc1330

steak1530

collop1577

stroke1581

sticking draught1688

scallop1723

fillet1725

cut1770

escalope1828

1770 G. Washington Diary 9 June (1925) I. 383 Had a cold cut at Mrs. Campbell's.

1773 Diary 21 Feb. II. 102 [They] calld here, but would not stay dinner, taking a Cut before it.

1816 U. Brown Jrnl. 24 Sept. in Maryland Hist. Mag. (1916) 11 230 At last comes to an Orniary [sc. Ordinary], fed & took a cut.

1827 Cincinnati Enquirer 15 Aug. 2/5 A cold cut at Utica.

c. A number of sheep or cattle cut out from the flock or herd. U.S., Australian, and New Zealand.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > animal keeping practices general > herding, pasturing, or confining > [noun] > droving > cutting-out > number cut out

cut1888

1888 T. Roosevelt in Cent. Mag. Apr. 860/2 As the animals of a brand are cut out they are received and held apart by some rider detailed for the purpose, who is said to be ‘holding the cut’.

1907 S. E. White Arizona Nights (U.K. ed.) i. vi. 112 The round-up Captain appointed two men to hold the cow-and-calf cut, and two more to hold the steer cut.

1933 E. Jones Autobiogr. Early Settler xxi. 93 [They] took a small cut of twenty or thirty sheep up to the river.

1953 B. Stronach Musterer on Molesworth x. 68 At last we got a small cut of our mob [of cattle] over [the bridge] and the rest was easy.

d. slang. Share (of profit, etc.); commission; = rake-off n. originally U.S.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > giving > distributing or dealing out > an allotted share, portion, or part > [noun] > of booty, spoils, or profits

fee14..

fleece1601

snappage1602

guile-shares1723

reg'lar1777

regular1811

share-out1864

corner1878

rake-off1887

split1889

tantième1897

cut1918

1918 H. C. Witwer From Baseball to Boches ix. 363 If you get nailed we'll give your wife a cut of our winnin's!

1940 P. G. Wodehouse Quick Service xii. 101 I don't mind giving Howard Steptoe his cut, but..five hundred pounds has got to be earmarked for me.

1957 W. H. Whyte Organization Man 282 The real money would come from..the company's cut..of every dollar spent in the shopping center.

1970 New York III. 30 Nov. 28/3 The net proceeds of a $2 million stock offering after the underwriter had taken his cut.

25. A piece of cloth of definite length cut from a warp.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > [noun] > piece of > other pieces

piece?c1430

fasel1440

speckc1440

pane1459

rag?1536

remnant1571

fag end1607

swatch1647

cut1753

rigg1769

hag's teeth1777

bias1824

spetch1828

shredlet1840

bias tape1884

short end1960

1753 J. Hanway Hist. Acct. Brit. Trade Caspian Sea I. xxvii. 169 The present..consisting of several cuts of fine cloth.

1891 Labour Commission Gloss. Cuts, sometimes called ‘ends’, are pieces of cloth of a certain length (generally of or about 100 yards) cut from a warp.

26. A certain quantity of yarn; properly containing 120 rounds of the legal reel, and 91 inches long. (Scottish and English regional (northern).)

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > thread or yarn > [noun] > other measures or quantities of

lease1391

lea1399

knotc1540

needleful1598

cut1632

winch1640

slip1647

spangle1705

vat1730

pad1746

heer1774

count1837

1632 in Quarter Sessions Rec. (N. Riding Rec. Soc.) (1885) III. Two women for stealing 30 cuttes of linen yarn.

1726 in Quarter Sessions Rec. (N. Riding Rec. Soc.) (1890) VIII. Linen yarne..must be ‘good and full tale of six score threads to the cutt’.

1791 Statist. Acct. Roxburghshire (Galashiels) II. 308 (Jam.) A stone of the finest [wool].. will yield 32 slips of yarn, each containing 12 cuts, and each cut being 120 rounds of the legal reel.

1800 M. Edgeworth Orphans in Parent's Assistant (ed. 3) V. 74 Mary spun nine cuts a day besides doing all that was to be done in the house.

27. The quantity cut (of a natural product, esp. timber). Chiefly U.S.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > lumbering > [noun] > felling trees > quantity felled

ploughbote1398

fall1535

hag1535

succisiona1626

fell1767

cut1807

felling1885

cutting1902

1807 R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. (new ed.) II. 360 A medium crop for the first cut.

1878 Lumberman's Gaz. 16 Mar. The cut of this year exceeded the cut of last year by at least 20 per cent.

1890 Times 22 Sept. 4/2 The cut of violet clovers in France is not likely to be large.

28. (See quot. 1890.) Also, a portion of a field cut, or intended for cutting, at one time. U.S.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > land raising crops > [noun] > harvest-field > cut portion of field

cut1765

1765 G. Washington Diary 6 Nov. (1925) I. 216 Finishd sowing Wheat at the Mill—viz 19 Bushls. in ye large cut within the Post and Rail fence and 6 B. in ye small cut.

1770 Diary 14 Sept. 399 Morris at Doeg Run began to sow his third Cut of Wheat.

1855 G. N. Jones Florida Plantation Rec. (1927) 132 The Cotton in the lower most cut of prelow will avrige knee high, the next two cutes will not avrige quit wast high.

1890 Dial. Notes (Boston), Kentucky words ii. 64 Cut, with tobacco raisers..a portion of a tobacco field. ‘Did you finish worming that cut you were on?’

VI. Substantive uses of the past participle.

†29. ‘A familiar expression for a common or labouring horse’ (Nares). Obsolete [It is doubtful whether the sense is ‘cut-tail horse’ or ‘gelding’.]

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > horse defined by purpose used for > [noun] > work horse

workhorse1463

cuta1529

farm horse1732

night horse1840

a1529 J. Skelton Magnyfycence (?1530) sig. Aiiii^v In fayth I set not by y^e worlde two dauncaster cuttys.

1577 G. Whetstone Remembraunce Gaskoigne sig. B.ij The Colliers cut, the Courtiars Steed will tire.

1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 ii. i. 5 I preethe Tom beat Cuts saddle.. poore iade is wroong in the withers.

a1625 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Two Noble Kinsmen (1634) iii. iv. 22 He's buy me a white Cut, forth for to ride.

†30. A term of abuse, applied to a man or woman. Obsolete or dialect. [Perhaps < 29: with Call me cut , compare Falstaff's ‘call me horse’ in 1 Henry IV, ii. v. 195. As applied to a woman, apparently more opprobrious: compare cutty adj. and n.]

ΚΠ

?a1534 H. Medwall Nature i. sig. bi^v Yf thou se hym not take hys owne way Call me cut when thou metest me a nother day.

1575 W. Stevenson Gammer Gurtons Nedle v. ii. sig. Eii That lying cut is lost, that she is not swinged and beaten.

1605 London Prodigall C ij b And I doe not meete him, chill giue you leaue to call me cut.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) ii. iii. 181 If thou hast her not i'th end, call me Cut .

1725 New Canting Dict. A Cut in some Northern Counties..signifies a Strumpet.

1820 W. Scott Abbot II. iv. 115 ‘You shall call me cutt if I do go down,’ said Adam.

†31.

a. Gunnery. A short cannon of any calibre.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > piece of artillery > [noun] > small or short pieces

murderer1495

curtala1509

minion1513

passe-volant1513

pikmoyane1513

saker1521

base1539

robinet1547

quarter cannon?a1549

bersec1550

murdresarc1550

yetling1558

battardc1565

demi-cannon1577

calabass1578

double curtal1582

demi-culverin1587

rabinet1596

murdering piece1601

drake1627

putter1646

cartow1650

putterlingc1650

minion drakea1661

cut1672

under-saker1678

murther1688

carronade1779

carthoun1849

1672 Compl. Gunner i. vii. 9 Bastard Pieces are shorter chases..and are therefore called Cuts of the same nature of the Piece they agree with in the bore; as those of Demi-Culverin bore, are called Demi-Culverin Cuts, etc.

b. Gaming. (plural) = Cut dice; dice made of irregular shape for cheating. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > games of chance > dice-playing > [noun] > die or dice > false or loaded

stop-dice1540

bar1545

flat1545

gourd1545

barred dicec1555

bristle-dicec1555

fulhamc1555

graviersc1555

high manc1555

langretc1555

low manc1555

cheat1567

dice of vantage?1577

demy1591

forger1591

squarier1592

tallmen?1592

stop cater trey1605

demi-bar1606

downhill1664

high runner1670

low runner1670

doctor1688

tat1688

uphill1699

cut1711

loaded dice1771

dispatcher1798

dispatch1819

miss-out1928

1711 J. Puckle Club 21 (note) At dice they have the doctors, the fulloms, loaded dice, flats, bars, cuts.

†32. A kind of blanket: see quot. 1677. Obsolete.

1677 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Oxford-shire 279 Of their best tail wooll they make the blankets of 6 quarters broad, commonly called cuts, which serve Sea-men for their Hammocs.

33. plural. Persons who have ‘cut’ each other, i.e. renounced each other's acquaintance. colloquial.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > discourtesy > [noun] > lack of affability > refusal to recognize a person > one or those who

cutter1798

cuts1871

1871 Daily News 13 Feb. Bismarck and ‘our Fritz’, are very nearly what schoolboys call ‘cuts.’

1880 Times 21 Sept. 4/1 People who leave Southampton the best of friends and arrive in Bombay dead cuts.

VII. The feather of a bird.

†34. Falconry. (Of uncertain history. See quot. 1611.)

ΚΠ

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Cousteau,.. the principall feather in a Hawkes wing, tearmed by our Faulkoners (in short-winged Hawkes) the Cut, or Cuttie.

Phrases

† to keep one's cut, keep cut: a phrase of obscure origin, meaning something like: ‘To keep one's distance, be coy or reserved’. Most of the later occurrences appear to refer to Skelton's Phyllyp Sparrowe, or at least to have the same origin. Obsolete. [The variant fend cut suggests a fencing phrase: but there is the great difficulty, referred to above, of the early date of the phrase, which makes it doubtful whether it really belongs to this word; and its place here must be considered as merely provisional.]

ΘΠ

society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > separation or isolation > separate [verb (intransitive)] > stand aloof or take no part

keep cut?a1400

to stand out?1496

to sit out1558

?a1400 Cov. Myst., Woman taken in Adultery 148 Com forth, thou sloveyn! com forthe, thou slutte! We xal the teche with carys colde, A lytyl bettyr to kepe thi kutte.

1421–2 T. Hoccleve Dialog 789 If..some of hem thee ther-of vpbreide, Thow [Hoccleve] shalt be bisy ynow..Thy kut to keepe.

a1529 J. Skelton Phyllyp Sparowe (?1545) sig. A.vii^v It wold set on a stole And lerned after my scole For to kepe his cut With Phyllyp kepe youre cut.

1573 G. Gascoigne In Prayse of Phillip in Hundreth Sundrie Flowres sig. Oiiii^v As if you say but fend cut phippe, Lord how the peat will turne and skippe.

a1586 Sir P. Sidney Astrophel & Stella (1591) 34 Good brother Phillip..craftely you seemed your Cut to keepe, As though that faire soft hand did you great wrong.

a1627 T. Middleton More Dissemblers besides Women i. iv, in 2 New Playes (1657) 17 Oh that a Boy should so keep cut with his Mother, and be given to dissembling.

1632 R. Brome Northern Lasse iii. ii And Philip 'twas my Sparrow..Chirp it would, And hop, and fly to fist, Keepe cut, as 'twere a Vsurers Gold, And bill me when I list.

a1652 R. Brome New Acad. iv. i. 72 in Five New Playes (1659) But look how she turnes and keeps cut like my Sparrow.

Compounds

General attributive.

C1. with adverbs.

cut-down n. a reduction in wages (cf. to cut down at cut v. Phrasal verbs); see also cut-in n.², cut-off n., cutout n., cut-up n.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > payment for labour or service > wage structures and scales > [noun] > wage-cut

Irishman's rise1869

cut-down1888

wage cut1925

1888 Boston (Mass.) Jrnl. 30 July 2/3 Strike against a cut-down.

1892 in N.Y. Nation 11 Aug. 100/3 No cut-down in wages.

C2. cf. cut v. 18b.

† cut-beaten adj. Obsolete beaten with cuts or strokes of a whip, etc.

1634 Noble Souldier ii. i I'de make thee roare And weare cut-beaten-sattyn.

cut-heal n. name for a species of valerian.

1863 R. C. A. Prior On Pop. Names Brit. Plants Cut-heal, the valerian.

1878–86 J. Britten & R. Holland Dict. Eng. Plant-names Cut-heal, Valeriana officinalis according to Prior, but more likely V. pyrenaica.

cut-line n. Rackets (a) a line painted on the front wall about the height of 9 ft. 6 in. from the floor, above which the ball must be served; (b) (see quot. 1912); (c) descriptive wording below an illustration.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > printing > printed matter > arrangement or appearance of printed matter > [noun] > heading > types of heading

epigraph1633

under-title1687

subhead1744

side head1822

catchword1833

side heading1836

subject line1836

subheading1842

catchline1845

subject heading1853

cut-line1883

box head1899

caption1923

overline1923

underline1924

strap1960

strap-line1960

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > rackets > [noun] > court > part of

cut-line1883

short-line1898

1883 Encycl. Brit. XX. 210/1 Another white line across the front wall, termed the ‘cut line’, because the in-player, when serving, must first make the ball rebound from the front wall above this line.

1912 M. Drake Eng. Glass-painting 183 The panes composing it [sc. the panel] should be laid in their places on a sheet of paper and their outlines traced by a pencil run round their edges. This sheet of paper will serve the glazier as a ‘cut-line’ drawing when the panels are handed to him for re-leading.

1923 M. Drake Doom Window xxv. 290 Cartoons began to be completed, and Reinecke and Sophie now made the cut-line drawings.

1938 L. M. Harrod Librarians' Gloss. 54 Cut line, matter appearing below an illustration. More often called a ‘caption’.

1964 H. Waugh Missing Man xi. 48 Betty Moore's picture ran two columns wide on the front pages with the cutlines describing her as the ‘widowed beauty’.

cut-looker n. Weaving see quot.

ΚΠ

1891 Labour Commission Gloss. Cut-looker, the person who examines and is held responsible for the work produced by the weaver. A cut or piece means a given length of calico.

cut-mark n. Weaving see quot.

ΚΠ

1874 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Cut-mark, a mark made upon a set of warp-threads before placing on the warp-beam of the loom, to mark off a certain definite length.

cut-over n. a sharp cut or stroke over the legs, etc. (cf. to cut over 3 at cut v. Phrasal verbs).

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > croquet > [noun] > types of stroke

following stroke1837

rush1868

stop-stroke1868

cut1874

cut-over1874

jump-stroke1874

take-off1874

tice1874

passing croquet1877

split1896

split stroke1897

passing stroke1901

jump shot1909

Hong Kong1957

split shot1975

1874 G. W. Dasent Half a Life I. 155 The marks of kicks and cuts over at hockey.

† cut-painted adj. Obsolete adorned with cuts or gashes, tattooed.

1611 J. Speed Hist. Great Brit. Concl. 895/2 They couered their Cut-painted bodies with Garments.

cut-side n. the side of a canal or of a railway cutting.

ΚΠ

1870 Birm. Town Crier IX. No. 13. 8/1 Walk along the cutside, and chuck pebbles over the summit bridge.

cut-through n. an act of cutting through; spec. in Rugby (Webster, 1934).

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > rugby football > [noun] > actions or manoeuvres

scrimmaging1776

throw on1845

rush1857

catch1858

maul1860

touch1863

mauling1864

touch-in-goal1869

goal-kicking1871

throw-forward1871

sidestepping1877

handing1882

punting1882

heel1886

touch kicking1889

forward pass1890

scrumming1892

touch-finding1895

heeling1896

wheel1897

scrag1903

reverse pass1907

jinka1914

hand-off1916

play-the-ball1918

gather1921

pivot pass1922

sidestep1927

smother-tackle1927

stiff-arm1927

heel-back1929

scissors1948

rucking1949

loose scrummaging1952

cut-through1960

pivot break1960

put-in1962

chip kicking1963

box kicking1971

peel1973

chip and chase1976

tap penalty1976

1960 Times 28 Dec. 4/4 Leicester were in trouble again after a cut-through by Jeeps.

1962 Times 2 Mar. 4/2 There was a fast, weaving cut-through by Watkins.

Draft additions September 2018

Film. A version of a film after editing, esp. any one of a sequence of versions before or including the final release version. Cf. director's cut n. at director n. Additions, fine cut n.², rough cut n.Later also used of television and other media.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > printing > [noun] > a print > edited versions

cut1922

rough cut1922

fine cut1952

rough edit1958

director's cut1980

1922 San Antonio (Texas) Light 12 Feb. I sat in the projection room looking at the rough cut and feeling morose.

1968 S. E. Whitfield in S. E. Whitfield & G. Roddenberry Making of ‘Star Trek’ iv. vii. 375 The music editor screens the final cut with the composer and producer, and together they determine every second throughout the show where music will be heard.

1993 Cineaste 19 98/2 JFK: The Director's Cut restores only seventeen minutes of footage to the film.

2011 New Yorker 17 Oct. 64/1 In December, Stanton showed a two-hour-and-fifty-minute cut of the film to Disney and Pixar executives, a check-in known as a Braintrust meeting.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

cutadj.

Brit.

/kʌt/, U.S.

/kət/

Etymology: Past participle of cut v.

a. Gashed or wounded with a sharp-edged instrument; having an incision made in it.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > [adjective] > wounded > cut

hacked?1440

cutc1665

slashed1825

c1665 L. Hutchinson Mem. Col. Hutchinson (1973) 79 To bind up a cutt finger.

1889 F. Treves Man. Surgery (ed. 6) II. xi. 473 The ordinary cut throat of the suicide or homicide.

b. esp. Of clothes, etc.: Having the edges or other parts purposely indented or slashed, for ornament or as a fashion.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [adjective] > having specific parts > ornamented or trimmed > cut or slashed

taggedc1380

daggedc1386

slita1387

rivenc1400

jaggedc1440

cut1480

voided1548

razed1552

raced1576

slashed1633

1480 W. Caxton Chron. Eng. ccxxvi. 233 Short clothes and streyte wastyd dagged and kyt, and on euery syde slatered.

1528 W. Tyndale Parable Wicked Mammon in Wks. I. 103 In a visor, in a disguised garment, and a cut shoe.

1573 G. Harvey Let.-bk. (1884) 6 His kut dublets.

a1627 T. Middleton Mayor of Quinborough (1661) v. i. 66 Y'had both need wear cut clothes.

1678 London Gaz. No. 1273/4 Another Apron laced with cut and slash Lace.

c. Of leaves and other natural objects: Having the margins deeply indented and divided.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > part of plant > leaf > [adjective] > compound or lobed

cut1565

winged1668

pinnate1687

conjugated1690

trifoliated1698

auriculated1712

auriculate1714

pennate1723

pinnated1725

pennated1727

bigeminate1753

lyrated1753

pedated1753

pinnatifid1753

supradecomposite1753

supradecompound1753

ternated1753

trifoliate1753

lyrate1760

pedate1760

quinate1760

ternate1760

tripinnate1760

palmed1767

bilobated1770

lyre-shaped1778

pennatifid1778

finger-parted1783

superdecompound1783

bipinnate1785

biternate1785

conjugate1785

lobed1787

tergeminate1793

wing-cleft1796

yoked?1803

binate1807

septenate1807

trijugous1813

auricled1821

pinniform1821

multijugous1828

pinnulate1828

trifoliolate1828

bipinnatifid1830

multifoliolate1831

multijugate1831

quinquefoliolate1832

bifoliolate1835

pinnatisected1837

palmatifid1839

tripinnatifid1839

foliate1840

palmatipartite1840

pinnatilobate1840

pinnatipartite1840

pinnatisect1840

bipinnated1842

biconjugate1847

imparipinnate1847

paripinnate1851

pinnatulate1855

polytomous1856

multifoliate1857

pennati-partite1857

pennati-sected1857

ternato-pinnate1857

tripinnatisect1857

patentoternate1859

septemfoliate1859

bipinnatipartite1861

bipinnatisected1861

bipalmate1864

pinnatilobed1866

septenous1866

cut-leaved1870

lobing1870

ternatisect1870

tripinnated1876

trijugate1880

jugate1887

pinnulated1890

trisect1899

tridigitate1900

trigeminous1900

1565–73 T. Cooper Thesaurus Alcea..marsh mallow: or cut mallow.

1796 W. Withering Arrangem. Brit. Plants (ed. 3) IV. 38 Leaves small, cut, hoary.

1874 C. C. Babington Man. Brit. Bot. (ed. 7) 159 Ovate cut or pinnatifid l[eafle]ts.

a. That has been subjected to cutting; affected or modified by cutting.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > cutting > [adjective] > cut

hacked?1440

ripped1552

bemangled1570

cut1594

woundedc1595

haggled1598

incised1598

gashed1602

hackled1611

carbonadoeda1616

gashya1625

sleft1627

mangled1779

haggly1825

1594 W. Shakespeare Titus Andronicus ii. i. 87 Easie it is, Of a cut loafe to steale a shiue we know.

1803 Sporting Mag. 21 326 Cut~cards..cards..having the good cards..all cut shorter, and the bad ones cut something narrower.

1881 Daily News 1 Sept. 3/3 In the Bank of England..buyers having now to choose between..Napoleons and German 20 marks at 76s. 6¹/ ₂d., and cut sovereigns at 77s. 10¹/ ₂d.

1892 Pall Mall Gaz. 5 Aug. 3/1 Cut cloth is canvas painted, from which the carpenters cut away all portions which are not touched with paint.

b. Of money: see cut-money n. at Compounds 1 ( Compounds 1 below). U.S.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > [adjective] > cut into pieces

cut1844

1844 in C. Cist Cincinnati Misc. (1845) I. 6/1 As late as 1806..the business house in Philadelphia in which I was apprentice, received over one hundred pounds of cut silver.

a. Formed, shaped, fashioned, or made by cutting; having the surface shaped or ornamented by grinding and polishing, as cut glass; also (transferred, colloquial) an affected expression or mode of speech; also (with hyphen) attributive. cut velvet: velvet having the pile cut so as to form patterns. †cut river: a canal.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > creation > [adjective] > created or produced > formed or constructed > formed by cutting

well-cut1578

cut1677

rock-hewn1781

incised1807

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > materials having undergone process > [adjective] > cut, hewn, or sawn

hewnc1400

sawn1536

sawed1553

cut1677

the world > the earth > water > body of water > channel of water > [noun] > navigable waterway > canal

channel1579

canal1597

cut river1677

navigation1720

shipway1840

canalette1869

klong1898

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > glass and glass-like materials > [noun] > glass > other types of glass

mirror glass1440

Venice glass1527

green glass1559

bubble glass1591

hard glass1597

window glass1606

bottle glass1626

looking-glass plate1665

opal glass1668

flint-glass1683

broad-glass1686

jealous glass1703

plate glass1728

Newcastle glass1734

flint1755

German sheet glass1777

Réaumur's porcelain1777

cut glass1800

Vauxhall1830

muslin glass1837

Venetian glass1845

latticinio1855

quartz glass1861

muff glass1865

thallium glass1868

St. Gobain glass1870

frost blue1873

crackle-glass1875

opaline1875

crackle-ware1881

amberina1883

opal1885

Jena1892

Holophane1893

roughcast1893

soda glass1897

opalite1899

milchglas1907

pâte de verre1907

Pyrex1915

silica glass1916

soda-lime glass1917

Vita-glass1925

peach-blow1930

borosilicate glass1933

Vitrolite1937

twin plate1939

sintered glass1940

gold-film1954

Plyglass1956

pyroceram1957

float glass1959

solar glass1977

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > ornamental glass-work > [noun] > cut or relief-decorated glass

silver glass1797

cut glass1800

mousseline1862

cameo glass1879

prunt1902

verre églomisé1907

reticello1926

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > made from silk > [noun] > types of > velvet > types of

silk velvet1530

refusado1598

French velvet1602

cut velvet1840

piece velvet1871

ring velvet1895

the mind > language > speech > manner of speaking > accent > [adjective] > of particular accents

broad?1533

plum-in-the-mouth1553

strong1735

educated1838

Kensingtonian1902

Morningside1953

cut glass1962

lock-jawed1974

the mind > language > speech > manner of speaking > accent > [noun] > correct accent or pronunciation

received pronunciation?1710

orthoepy1801

orthophony1845

orthoglossy1877

RP1889

R.S.1889

cut glass1966

1677 A. Yarranton England's Improvem. 7 By making Cut Rivers Navigable in all places where Art can possibly effect it.

1717 G. Berkeley Jrnls. Trav. Italy 8 Jan. in Wks. (1955) VII. 246 The gardens..have fine cut walks.

1800 M. Symes Acct. Embassy to Ava xvi. 382 A handsome girandole of cut glass.

1802 C. Wilmot Irish Peer on Continent (1920) 22 The Room lighted by a handsome cut glass Lustre.

1816 M. Keating Trav. (1817) II. 81 The masonry is, as usual with the Romans, stratified in alternate courses of cut-stone and brick-work.

1840 W. M. Thackeray Catherine viii The cut-velvet breeches.

1845 C. Knight Capital & Labour 169 Cut-glass is now comparatively..cheap.

1875 H. B. Stowe We & our Neighbors xxxii. 303 I arranged it in my high cut-glass dish and covered it with foamy billow of whites of eggs.

1945 D. Thomas Let. 30 July in Sel. Lett. (1966) 282 A position or positions—cut-glass for job or jobs.

1957 Granta 9 Mar. 20/1 All I can remember now is a cut-glass decanter stopper.

1962 John o' London's 24 May 507/2 An impeccable cut-glass accent.

1966 ‘L. Lane’ ABZ of Scouse 96 She talks cut glass.

b. cut bank n. see quot. 1932. North American.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > land > land mass > shore or bank > bank > [noun] > of river > outer

cut bank1819

1819 N. Amer. Rev. 8 11 The Nottoway at Cut Bank Bridge.

1837 S. Cumings Western Pilot 66 You pass close by this cut bank of the bar.

1884 ‘M. Twain’ Adventures Huckleberry Finn xv. 116 In about a minute I come a booming down on a cut bank with..big trees on it... That cut bank was an island.

1897 Medicine Hat (Alberta) News 28 Jan. 1/6 The horse on which he was riding went over the cut bank near the iron bridge.

1932 Dial. Notes 6 228 Cut-bank. This word (variously spelled cutbank, cut-bank, and cut bank) is often used for the outer bank at the bend of a stream, the bank which the stream cuts into, leaving the opposite side flat.

1968 R. M. Patterson Finlay's River 26 On the right bank of the Parsnip [River] there is a high cutbank, a sand-and-gravel cliff.

c. cut paper n. paper cut into a desired shape, usually for decorative purposes. Also (with hyphen) attributive.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > [noun] > work in specific medium

bonework1557

shell-work1611

rockwork1615

feather-work1665

quillwork1688

boss-work1697

ice work1729

wafer-work1789

filigree paper1800

feather-mosaic1843

cut paper1847

plumagery1854

leather-work1856

graffito1863

cuerda seca1911

papercraft1917

barbola1927

rosemaling1933

cuenca1939

penwork1969

1847 E. Brontë Wuthering Heights I. xiii. 323 A fire-place hung with cut paper dropping to pieces.

1891 R. Kipling Light that Failed i. 10 The boy who..had decorated Amomma's horns with cut-paper ham-frills.

1962 Times 31 May 16/4 The marvellous cut-paper experiments in pure colour which are far more familiar in America than here.

1967 E. Short Embroidery & Fabric Collage i. 28 When working out designs in cut paper.

d. cut nail n. U.S. (See quot. 1874.)

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > building and constructing equipment > fastenings > [noun] > nail > other nails

scotsem nail1273

scotnail1293

foot nail1406

seam1406

sharpling1415

grope1425

cannel-nail1566

boss-nail1697

common nail1698

cut nail1795

1795 J. Scott U.S. Gazetteer 1288/2 3 nail manufactories for cut nails.

1809 Deb. Congr. 13 Aug. 2250 The manufacture of cut nails was born in our country.

1817 S. R. Brown Western Gazetteer 316 Also, more mercantile stores,..one cut nail factory.

1835 Southern Lit. Messenger 1 260 In the city..there are..two manufactories for cut nails.

1860 O. W. Holmes Professor at Breakfast-table v. 152 The cut nails of machine-divinity may be driven in, but they won't clinch.

1874 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Cut-nail, a nail cut from a nail-plate, in contradistinction to one forged from a nail-rod.

1878 Congr. Rec. 28 Jan. 612/1 An improvement nearly as important..as was the cut-nail machine in malling nails.

4. Divided into pieces by cutting.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > action of dividing or divided condition > division by cutting > [adjective] > cut into pieces

ychoppidc1430

cutc1440

chopped1538

shorn1597

shared1598

dissected1634

slitted1797

junked1827

c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 111 Cutte a-sundere, scissus.

1659 R. Lovelace Poems (1864) 166 Then let me be Thy cut anatomie.

1840 F. D. Bennett Narr. Whaling Voy. II. 85 Enclosing the cut leaf in the delicate husk of the Indian-corn.

1847–78 J. O. Halliwell Dict. Archaic & Provinc. Words Cut-meat, hay; fodder; chaff cut into short lengths. North.

1893 N.E.D. at Cut Mod. A heap of cut fire-wood.

a. Severed or detached by cutting; lopped off.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > [adjective] > cut-off

cutc1380

gird-off1382

resecate1530

resect1540

lopped1570

severed1581

c1380 Eng. Wycliffite Serm. Sel., in Wks. I. 167 A kitt braunche.

1845 Florist's Jrnl. 6 13 The unhealthiness attributed to cut flowers, when introduced into..sleeping-rooms.

1878 Emerson in N. Amer. Rev. CXXVI. 405 A show of cut flowers.

b. cut and laid, of a hedge: see lay v.¹ 6b. Also elliptical, a hedge made in this manner.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > hedging > [adjective] > cut and laid

cut and laid1919

the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > that which or one who closes or shuts > a barrier > [noun] > hedge or fence > a hedge > other types of hedge

teen-hedge1638

counter-hedge1642

palisade-hedge1664

palisado hedge1688

beard1810

bullfinch1832

bullfincher1862

cut and laid1919

1919 J. Masefield Reynard the Fox ii. 73 Robin made Pip [sc. his horse] go crash through the cut and laid.

1927 Daily Express 31 Oct. 9 Neat-cropped grass fields split by ‘cut and laid’ fences.

a. Shortened, lessened, or reduced by, or as by cutting; curtailed; cut down. Of prices, etc.: reduced (originally U.S.). Hence cut-price adj., cut-rate adj. having, or offered at, reduced prices; also figurative.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > low price or rate > [adjective] > reduced

cut1881

society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > low price or rate > [adjective] > reduced > offered at reduced price

cut-rate1881

cut-price1897

marked-down1902

reduced1905

1646 R. Crashaw Steps to Temple 65 Short-cut lives of murdred Infants.

1881 Chicago Times 12 Mar. The New York Central..has been meeting the cut rate made via Baltimore.

1884 Pall Mall Gaz. 1 Oct. 5/2 Parliament will accept..the cutting of the coupon, but the guarantee of the cut coupon—that is altogether another affair.

a1889 Boston Jrnl. (Farmer) The plain people who enjoy a spectacular, musical, and dramatic season at cut rates.

1897 Sears, Roebuck Catal. No. 104. 684 No wholesale house can meet our cut prices.

1904 Westm. Gaz. 27 May 10/2 The policy of the ‘cut-rate’ may continue.

1904 F. Lynde Grafters xiii. 163 If the cut rates should be withdrawn and the railroad activities cease.

1904 Daily Chron. 15 June 7/3 One out of every eighty of the cut-rate arrivals was ordered back to Europe.

1907 N.Y. Evening Post (semi-weekly ed.) 14 Feb. 6 The evangelist was referred to as a man who ‘stole members from other churches by offering cut rates to heaven’.

a1909 ‘O. Henry’ Roads of Destiny xv. 237 A clerk in the Cut-rate Drug Store.

1910 Sat. Evening Post 10 Sept. 76/2 Tricky cut-price operators..selling below living prices.

1930 R. Simmat Personal Salesmanship 85 If a salesman once..gives a cut price he will..be always expected to give a cut price.

1934 J. B. Priestley Eng. Journey 17 A number of blatant cut-price shops, their windows crammed with goods, mostly inferior and dubious, and loud with placards.

1958 New Statesman 30 Aug. 238/3 Their decision to offer unsecured personal advances at, in effect, cut-rates.

1963 A. Ross Australia 63 19 M.C.C.'s batsmen were offered only cut-price bowling, and they savaged it accordingly.

1964 Daily Tel. 18 Jan. 8/2 Giving the consumer more of a choice between ‘quality’ and cut-rate shopping.

b. Diluted; adulterated. (Cf. cut v. 22b) Chiefly U.S.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > liquid > making or becoming liquid > action or process of dilution > [adjective] > diluted

allayed?a1475

lymphate1583

dilute1658

diluted1681

lew1882

watered-down1902

cut1938

the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > an intoxicating drug > [adjective] > diluted or adulterated

soft1959

cut1969

1938 H. Asbury Sucker's Progress 343 Suckers..paid exorbitant prices for cut and adulterated liquor.

1969 D. Bagley Spoilers vi. 180 ‘This is morphine.’ ‘Cut or uncut?’ asked Follet. ‘It's pure—or as pure as you can make the stuff in a slum like this.’

7. Castrated.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > infertility > [adjective] > castrated

geldedc1225

cutted1438

geltc1440

chaste1526

evirate1606

castrated1609

memberless1611

unpaveda1616

libbed1616

cut1624

eunuched1627

caponed1630

untesticled1668

castrate1704

eunuch1817

emasculated1830

eunuchal1878

neuter1893

eunuchoid1894

1624 Nero (1888) iv. i. 56 Your cut-boy Sporus.

1893 N.E.D. at Cut Mod. A cut horse.

8. slang. Drunk, intoxicated.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > excess in drinking > [adjective] > drunk

fordrunkenc897

drunkena1050

cup-shottenc1330

drunka1400

inebriate1497

overseenc1500

liquor1509

fou1535

nase?1536

full1554

intoxicate1554

tippled1564

intoxicated1576

pepst1577

overflown1579

whip-cat1582

pottical1586

cup-shota1593

fox-drunk1592

lion-drunk1592

nappy1592

sack-sopped1593

in drink1598

disguiseda1600

drink-drowned1600

daggeda1605

pot-shotten1604

tap-shackled1604

high1607

bumpsy1611

foxed1611

in one's cups1611

liquored1611

love-pot1611

pot-sick1611

whift1611

owl-eyed1613

fapa1616

hota1616

inebriated1615

reeling ripea1616

in one's (or the) pots1618

scratched1622

high-flown?1624

pot-shot1627

temulentive1628

ebrious1629

temulent1629

jug-bitten1630

pot-shaken1630

toxed1635

bene-bowsiea1637

swilled1637

paid1638

soaken1651

temulentious1652

flagonal1653

fuddled1656

cut1673

nazzy1673

concerned1678

whittled1694

suckey1699

well-oiled1701

tippeda1708

tow-row1709

wet1709

swash1711

strut1718

cocked1737

cockeyed1737

jagged1737

moon-eyed1737

rocky1737

soaked1737

soft1737

stewed1737

stiff1737

muckibus1756

groggy1770

muzzeda1788

muzzya1795

slewed1801

lumpy1810

lushy1811

pissed1812

blue1813

lush1819

malty1819

sprung1821

three sheets in the wind1821

obfuscated1822

moppy1823

ripe1823

mixed1825

queer1826

rosined1828

shot in the neck1830

tight1830

rummy1834

inebrious1837

mizzled1840

obflisticated1840

grogged1842

pickled1842

swizzled1843

hit under the wing1844

obfusticatedc1844

ebriate1847

pixilated1848

boozed1850

ploughed1853

squiffy?1855

buffy1858

elephant trunk1859

scammered1859

gassed1863

fly-blown1864

rotten1864

shot1864

ebriose1871

shicker1872

parlatic1877

miraculous1879

under the influence1879

ginned1881

shickered1883

boiled1886

mosy1887

to be loaded for bear(s)1888

squiffeda1890

loaded1890

oversparred1890

sozzled1892

tanked1893

orey-eyed1895

up the (also a) pole1897

woozy1897

toxic1899

polluted1900

lit-up1902

on (also upon) one's ear1903

pie-eyed1903

pifflicated1905

piped1906

spiflicated1906

jingled1908

skimished1908

tin hat1909

canned1910

pipped1911

lit1912

peloothered1914

molo1916

shick1916

zigzag1916

blotto1917

oiled-up1918

stung1919

stunned1919

bottled1922

potted1922

rotto1922

puggled1923

puggle1925

fried1926

crocked1927

fluthered1927

lubricated1927

whiffled1927

liquefied1928

steamed1929

mirackc1930

overshot1931

swacked1932

looped1934

stocious1937

whistled1938

sauced1939

mashed1942

plonked1943

stone1945

juiced1946

buzzed1952

jazzed1955

schnockered1955

honkers1957

skunked1958

bombed1959

zonked1959

bevvied1960

mokus1960

snockered1961

plotzed1962

over the limit1966

the worse for wear1966

wasted1968

wired1970

zoned1971

blasted1972

Brahms and Liszt?1972

funked up1976

trousered1977

motherless1980

tired and emotional1981

ratted1982

rat-arsed1984

wazzed1990

mullered1993

twatted1993

bollocksed1994

lashed1996

1673 R. Head Canting Acad. 171 He is flaw'd, fluster'd, Cup shot, cut in the leg or back.

1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Cut, Drunk; Deep Cut..Cut in the Leg or Back, very drunk.

1760 C. Johnstone Chrysal I. ii. i. 137 Your excellency was a little cut, but you broke up much the strongest of the company.

1823 J. G. Lockhart Reginald Dalton I. i. vii. 73 I'm sure we had not much more than a bottle a-piece..I was not cut.

1848 W. M. Thackeray Bk. Snobs xli. 160 I was so cut last night.

†9. cut and long tail: literal horses or dogs with cut tails and with long tails; hence figurative all sorts of people. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > people collectively > [noun] > all people

all the worldOE

all ledea1275

more and minc1275

most and leasta1300

much and litec1330

mo and lessc1426

the whole world1530

cut and long tail1576

universal1596

general1604

universality1606

university1677

all outdoors1833

John Q.1937

1576 U. Fulwell Ars Adulandi v. f. 23 Yea, euen their verie dogs, Rug, Rig, & Risbie: yea, cut & longtaile, they shalbe welcome.

?1578 W. Patten Let. Entertainm. Killingwoorth 31 The rest of the band..tag & rag, cut & long tayl.

1602 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor iii. iv. 45 That I vill, come cut and long taile,..vnder the degree of a Squire.

1698 J. Vanbrugh Æsop iv. ii Your worship has six coach-horses (cut and long-tail,) two runners, half-a-dozen hunters.

1700 G. Farquhar Constant Couple ii. iv. 18 I whipped all the Whores Cut and Long-Tail, out of the Parish.

10.

a. cut and dried (also cut and dry): originally referring to herbs in the herbalists' shops, as contrasted with growing herbs; hence, figurative ready-made and void of freshness and spontaneity; also, ready shaped according to a priori formal notions. (Usually of language, ideas, schemes or the like.)

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > necessity > fate or destiny as determining events > [adjective] > fated or predestined

born1357

destinablec1374

destinalc1374

fatalc1374

predestinatec1384

foreordainedc1420

ordinate?a1425

destiny?1473

preordinatea1475

prefinitec1475

pointed1523

predestined1545

determined1546

ordinated1562

predestinated1571

preordained?1580

fore-appointeda1586

predeterminate1601

predetermined1601

destinated1604

destinate1605

destined1609

predesigned1668

predefinite1678

cut and dry1710

fated1715

weirded1820

laid-down1839

foreordinated1858

predesignated1883

predestinatory1893

preset1926

predefined1929

predestine1962

bashert1963

1710 J. B. Let. to Sacheverell 13 Your Sermon was ready Cut and Dry'd.

1730 J. Swift Betty the Grizette in Poems Sets of Phrases, cut and dry, Evermore thy Tongue supply.

1796 J. Wolcot Satire in Wks. (1812) III. 408 Phrases ready cut and dried.

1883 St. James's Gaz. 1 Dec. 3/1 A Socialist, but a Socialist who has no cut-and-dry scheme of Socialism.

1887 A. Jessopp Arcady vii. 191 Quite enough to scatter my cut and dried theories to the winds.

b. elliptical as noun (cut and dry) = cut and dried tobacco, etc.

ΚΠ

1718 J. Arbuthnot Let. to Swift in Misc. Wks. (1751) II. 123 Isaac extolls her out of a Quartern of Cut and Dry every Day she lives.

1725 A. Ramsay Gentle Shepherd ii. i Ye've coft a pund o cut and dry.

c. Hence cut-and-driedness. nonce-word.

ΚΠ

1882 G. Saintsbury Short Hist. Fr. Lit. Interchapter iv. 504 The reduction of..important departments in literature to a condition of cut-and-driedness which has no parallel in history.

11. With adverbs: see cut v. Phrasal verbs. See also cutaway adj., cutout n., cut-under n.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > vessel of specific construction or shape > [adjective] > having upper decks or superstructure removed

cut1809

razeed1821

1743 W. Ellis Mod. Husbandman Oct. v. 29 The great Importance of curing cut down Wheat in the Field, is..known to the meanest Rustic.

1809 Naval Chron. 22 90 The Regulus, a cut down 44.

1823 G. S. Faber Treat. Christian Dispensations II. ii. iii. 104 Like a cut-down plant.

1861 C. Dickens Great Expectations II. xvi. 255 A cut-up plum-cake.

1874 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Cut-in Notes (Printing), notes which occupy spaces taken out of the text, whose lines are shortened to give room therefor.

1932 W. Faulkner Light in August vii. 143 The small figure in cutdown underwear.

1941 J. Cary House of Children iii. 10 Wild hordes of mountain children in their father's cut-down trousers.

1949 F. Maclean Eastern Approaches ii. iii. 200 A new, cut-down Ford station waggon.

Compounds

C1. qualifying a noun.

cut cloth n. (see quot. 1961).

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > theatrical equipment or accessories > [noun] > scenery > cloth > types of

sky-border1744

skydrop1854

skycloth1871

sea-cloth1883

cut cloth1884

front cloth1884

backcloth1886

backdrop1913

cyclorama1915

teaser1916

scrim1930

cut drop1961

1884 J. Hatton H. Irving's Impress. Amer. I. vii. 165 The well-known Hampton Court cloth [in ‘Charles I’] was so perfect..that it was regarded as a cut cloth, with ‘raking’ and water-pieces.

1933 P. Godfrey Back-stage xi. 143 The drop-scenes, cut-cloths, and borders..became as obsolete as the ‘aside’ in acting.

1961 W. P. Bowman & R. H. Ball Theatre Lang. 89 Cut cloth, cut-cloth, a British term for a cut drop.

cut drop n.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > theatrical equipment or accessories > [noun] > scenery > cloth > types of

sky-border1744

skydrop1854

skycloth1871

sea-cloth1883

cut cloth1884

front cloth1884

backcloth1886

backdrop1913

cyclorama1915

teaser1916

scrim1930

cut drop1961

1961 W. P. Bowman & R. H. Ball Theatre Lang. 90 Cut drop, a drop painted and then cut out so that the spectator sees a scene formed not only by this drop but also by whatever is placed behind it.

† cut-fowl n. Obsolete = insect.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > [noun] > member of

buddea1200

Bruchusa1398

cut-fowl1587

insect1601

intersect1655

beastie1820

scallop hook tip1829

hexapod1875

wog1922

1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. ix. 141 Smal things, as Woormes, Cutfoules, and such other.

cut-money n. U.S. (see quot. 1822).

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > [noun] > coins cut into smaller pieces

cut-money1809

1809 in W. Littell Statute Law of Kentucky (1814) IV. 45 To pay cut money into the public treasury.

1822 J. Woods Two Years' Resid. Eng. Prairie 230 We found change at these towns very scarce; what there was, was mostly cut-money; that is, when change is wanted they often cut dollars, half-dollars, and quarter-dollars, into smaller pieces with an ax or chisel.

1824 W. N. Blane Excurs. through U.S. 257 I was obliged to cut a silver dollar, into quarters, and even into eighths; a practice so common in the Western States, that the cut-money as it was called, was the only change that could be had in Missouri.

cut-rock n. (see quot. 1837).

ΚΠ

1837 W. Irving Adventures Capt. Bonneville II. 200 All these basaltic channels are called cut rocks by the trappers.

1851 M. Reid Scalp Hunters II. viii. 148 We found the path strewed with loose cut-rock.

cut-rope n. Nautical = painter n.²

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > ropes or chains other than rigging or cable > [noun] > for securing vessel > painter

boat rope1336

seizing1336

tether?1504

painter1699

cut-rope1909

putty1927

1909 Westm. Gaz. 3 July 2/2 The cut-rope [painter] of an old boat is apt to be very rotten.

1909 Westm. Gaz. 21 Aug. 2/2 Benjie ran into the water for the cut-rope.

cut sheet n. (also cut sheet rubber) rubber cut into sheets from a pressed block.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > rubber > [noun] > in specific form

rubber sheet1842

rubber band1849

cut sheet1900

sheet1900

crêpe rubber1907

smoked sheet1909

twist1909

air foam1937

foam1937

1900 W. T. Brannt India Rubber, Gutta-percha & Balata ii. 103 The manufacture of fine cut sheet was invented by Charles Macintosh.

1907 H. L. Terry India-rubber xii. 161 Cut sheet rubber.

C2. Similar combinations used attributively.

cut-finger adj.

ΚΠ

1883 R. Jefferies Nature near London 44 [They] call the foliage of the knotted figwort cutfinger leaves, as they are believed to assist the cure of a cut or sore.

cut-flower adj.

ΚΠ

1902 Westm. Gaz. 4 Apr. 8/1 The cut-flower trade.

1970 W. E. Shewell-Cooper Cut Flowers for House i. 9 The keen cut-flower gardener should expect to have blooms and foliage from his garden from March to October at least.

cut-glass adj. (see 3a.)

cut-leaf adj.

ΚΠ

1897 G. B. Sudworth Nomencl. Arborescent Flora U.S. 261 Robinia pseudacacia dissecta..Cutleaf Locust.

1923 E. F. Wyatt Invisible Gods 16 Mountain ash and cut-leaf birch flickered their light foliage.

cut-paper adj. (see 3c.)

cut-pile adj.

ΚΠ

1880 E. J. Reed Japan II. 223 Silk and cut-pile fabrics.

cut-steel n. and adj.

ΚΠ

1748 T. Smollett Roderick Random II. xliv. 79 A fourth [sword] cut steel inlaid with gold.

1896 Westm. Gaz. 10 Dec. 3/2 A cut-steel buckle.

1925 W. de la Mare Connoisseur (1926) 334 The cut-steel brooch of coloured gems.

cut-stone adj. (see sense 3a).

ΚΠ

1836 Knickerbocker Mag. 8 193 A depth of eight feet and width of ninety feet, with cut-stone locks.

1882 Econ. Geol. Illinois II. 57 All the principal limestone formations in this county afford good building stone..and some of them afford a superior article, suitable for cut-stone work.

cut-tail n. and adj. (also = ‘cut-tail dog’)

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Canidae > dog > [noun] > parts of > dog defined by

cut-tail1530

long-tail1576

bob-tail1676

stump-tail1868

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 211/2 Cuttayled beest, queve courte.

1627 M. Drayton Shepheards Sirena in Battaile Agincourt 143 His gamesome cut-tayld Curre.

1627 M. Drayton Shepheards Sirena in Battaile Agincourt 152 Whistles Cut-tayle from his play.

C3.

Categories »

cut bastion n. Fortification a bastion with its salient angle cut off and replaced by an inward angle.

cut-card n. applied to a type of relief decoration on silverware, etc., in which a thin sheet of metal is cut ornamentally and soldered to the surface.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > artistic work in metal > [adjective] > relating to gold or silver articles > types of decoration on silver

writhen1450

frost-worked1710

cut-card1920

1920 Catal. Eng. Silversmiths' Work (V. & A. Mus.) 18 Another method of decoration was that known as ‘cut-card’ work, the decoration being cut out from a separate sheet of metal.

1939 Oxoniensia 4 201 A candle-cup, of 1672, with fine ‘cut-card’ decoration.

1956 G. Taylor Silver v. 135 The Parisian goldsmiths..effected a monumental elegance..due to an admirable harmony... Perhaps the most attractive..is cut-card work, a term used to describe flat patterns of sheet metal applied to the body of the object to be decorated.

1969 R. Mayer Dict. Art Terms & Techniques 103 Cut-card work, a decorative technique in metalwork in which a design cut out of a sheet of metal is superimposed on the surface of an object of the same metal, usually around a protuberance such as a handle or a finial. Cut-card work is used almost exclusively for silver.

† cut mallow n. Obsolete the vervain mallow, Malva alcea.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Malvaceae (mallows and allies) > [noun]

hockc725

malloweOE

crisp mallowa1300

altheaa1398

mawa1400

maula1425

alceac1440

malva1527

vervain mallow1548

cut mallow1565

dwarf mallow1578

curled mallow1620

musk1728

Sida1753

curled-leaved mallow1754

marshmallow1814

round dock1825

mallow wort1845

crisped-leaved mallow1846

Modiola1856

velvet-leaf1856

fairy cheeses1869

pancakes1882

frog cheese1886

musk plant1898

1565–73 T. Cooper Thesaurus Alcea..marsh mallow: or cut mallow.

1591 R. Percyvall Bibliotheca Hispanica Dict. at Malvavisco salvage Cut mallowes.

cut sheet n. India-rubber cut into sheets from a pressed block.

ΚΠ

1907 H. L. Terry India-rubber xii. 162 A good deal of English cut sheet goes to Paris.

1910 Seeligmann's Indiarubber (ed. 2) 146 The great use of blocked rubber consists in the manufacture of cut sheet and English sheet.

1923 B. D. W. Luff Chem. Rubber 17 This ‘cut sheet’, as it was and still is called, was adapted to many purposes, surgical appliances, tubing and overshoes being made at an early date.

C4. Parasynthetic derivatives of these. See also cut-lips n., cut-waist n., etc.

cut-fingered adj.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for hands > [adjective] > types of gloves

cut-fingered1591

prick-seamed1624

right-handed1700

fingered1739

gauntleted1810

tilbury'd1901

ambidextrous1919

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > shoe or boot > [adjective] > cut or slashed

decopedc1400

cut-fingered1591

raised1688

1591 T. Nashe in Sir P. Sidney Astrophel & Stella Introd. 'Tis as good to go in cut-fingered pumps as cork shoes, if one wear Cornish diamonds on his toes.

cut-leaved adj.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > part of plant > leaf > plant defined by leaves > [adjective] > having leaves of particular shape or size

broad-leaved1552

long-leaved1562

narrow-leaved1578

round-leaved1597

small-leaved1597

long-leafed1629

rosemary-leaved1633

rue-leaved1633

teretifolious1657

cut-leaved1731

longleaf1733

channel-leaved1758

halberd-shaped1770

alder-leaved1772

oak-leaved1776

holly-leaved1777

ivy-leaved1789

halberd-headed1795

daisy-leaved1796

narrow-leaf1804

oblique-leaved1807

sword-leaved1807

wing-leaved1822

flaggy1842

curly1845

macrophyllous1857

parvifolious1857

shield-leaved1860

curled1861

symphyllous1877

beak-leaved188.

stenophyllous1880

thread-leaved1884

megaphyllous1901

little leaf1908

ivy-leaf1909

the world > plants > part of plant > leaf > [adjective] > compound or lobed

cut1565

winged1668

pinnate1687

conjugated1690

trifoliated1698

auriculated1712

auriculate1714

pennate1723

pinnated1725

pennated1727

bigeminate1753

lyrated1753

pedated1753

pinnatifid1753

supradecomposite1753

supradecompound1753

ternated1753

trifoliate1753

lyrate1760

pedate1760

quinate1760

ternate1760

tripinnate1760

palmed1767

bilobated1770

lyre-shaped1778

pennatifid1778

finger-parted1783

superdecompound1783

bipinnate1785

biternate1785

conjugate1785

lobed1787

tergeminate1793

wing-cleft1796

yoked?1803

binate1807

septenate1807

trijugous1813

auricled1821

pinniform1821

multijugous1828

pinnulate1828

trifoliolate1828

bipinnatifid1830

multifoliolate1831

multijugate1831

quinquefoliolate1832

bifoliolate1835

pinnatisected1837

palmatifid1839

tripinnatifid1839

foliate1840

palmatipartite1840

pinnatilobate1840

pinnatipartite1840

pinnatisect1840

bipinnated1842

biconjugate1847

imparipinnate1847

paripinnate1851

pinnatulate1855

polytomous1856

multifoliate1857

pennati-partite1857

pennati-sected1857

ternato-pinnate1857

tripinnatisect1857

patentoternate1859

septemfoliate1859

bipinnatipartite1861

bipinnatisected1861

bipalmate1864

pinnatilobed1866

septenous1866

cut-leaved1870

lobing1870

ternatisect1870

tripinnated1876

trijugate1880

jugate1887

pinnulated1890

trisect1899

tridigitate1900

trigeminous1900

1731 P. Miller Gardeners Dict. I. at Lilac Lilac, with cut Leaves, falsely call'd, The Cut-leav'd Persian Jasmine... The Cut-leav'd Sort..having its older Leaves deeply cut in.

1870 J. D. Hooker Student's Flora Brit. Islands 174 The ‘Cut-leaved Elder’.

cut-lugged adj. (Sc. = crop-eared)

ΚΠ

1814 W. Scott Waverley II. vii. 122 Ye cut-lugged graning carles.

cut-nosed adj. (= slit-nosed)

ΚΠ

1591 R. Percyvall Bibliotheca Hispanica Dict. at Desnarigado Cut nosed.

cut-tailed adj.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > animal body > general parts > rump and tail > [adjective] > relating to the tail > having a tail > having tail cut short

curtailed1591

bob-tailed1640

crop-tailed1689

cut-tailed1712

dock-tail1785

dock-tailed1824

1712 London Gaz. No. 4997/4 A Bay Mare..cut Tail'd.

C5. In sports contexts.

cut-lob n.

ΚΠ

1907 P. A. Vaile Mod. Lawn Tennis 87 A cut lob should drop straighter than a lifted one.

cut-drive n.

ΚΠ

1908 Westm. Gaz. 27 June 11/2 The latter's cut-drives and crisp volleying proved more than usually effective.

cut-chopping n.

ΚΠ

1927 Daily Express 11 June 13/5 The ‘cut-chopping’ by Miss Ryan was fierce and fast in the first set.

Draft additions December 2006

cut lunch n. Australian and New Zealand a packed lunch, typically consisting of sandwiches.

ΚΠ

1937 Bulletin (Sydney) 30 June 21/1 Three hours' paddock work to develop an appetite for a ‘cut’ lunch eaten on the job.

1983 K. Francis Wildlife Ranger 2 The midday meal was more often a cut lunch eaten on the job.

2004 T. McKinley Undercurrents ix. 81 Olivia asked Lila for a cut lunch, so reckon they've made a day of it.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

cutv.

Brit.

/kʌt/, U.S.

/kət/

Forms: Middle English cute, Middle English kot, kuytte, Middle English kut, kutt(e, kytt(e, kitt(e, Middle English kette, cytte, Middle English–1500s kyt, kit, Middle English–1600s cutt(e, 1500s– cut. past tense Middle English cutt(e, Middle English– cut; also Middle English kut, kit, citte, Middle English kutte, kytte, kitte, Middle English kyt; β. Middle English kittide, kottede, Middle English cutted, (plural) kuttiden, 1500s Scottish cuttit. past participle Middle English kit, kitt(e, ikett, Middle English kut, kutt(e, y-kyt(t, Middle English–1500s cutte, Middle English–1600s cutt, Middle English y-kitt, ykette, Middle English–1500s kyt, Middle English– cut; β. Middle English kytted, kittid, Middle English–1500s cuttid, Middle English–1600s (1800s dialect) cutted, Middle English cuttyd, cuttede, 1500s Scottish cuttit.

Etymology: Found in end of 13th cent., and in common use since the 14th cent., being the proper word for the action in question, for which Old English used sníðan , ceorfan . The phonology is doubtful; the early variants cutte , kitte , kette , with past participle cut , kyt , kit , kett , are parallel to the early variants of shut v., Old English scyttan, and point to *cyttan, kytten ( < *cutian) as the original form, an earlier y/y/, having here, as in shut and other words, given later u now /ʌ/). The word is not recorded in Old English (nor in any West Germanic dialect), and there is no corresponding verb in Romance. Modern Norwegian kutte = skjære to cut (chiefly used by sailors) is certainly adopted < English; but a verb kåta, (kutå) = skära, hugga to cut, is widely diffused in Swedish dialects, and apparently an old word, from an Old Germanic stem *kut-, *kot-, which is probably the source also of the English verb, whatever the intermediate history of the latter. A conjectured derivation of cut from Welsh cwta ‘short’ is in the opinion of Prof. Rhŷs quite untenable. Neither cwta nor any of its derivatives have any relation whatever to the use of a knife or other cutting instrument; while the South Wales cwt = cut, gash, e.g. in the hand, is a mere adoption of the English noun.

I. To make incision in or into.

a. transitive. To penetrate with an edged instrument which severs the continuity of the substance; to wound or injure with a sharp-edged instrument; to make incision in; to gash, slash.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > cutting > cut [verb (transitive)]

snithec725

carvec1000

cutc1275

slitc1275

hag1294

ritc1300

chop1362

slash1382

cut and carvea1398

flash?a1400

flish?a1400

slenda1400

race?a1425

raise?a1425

razea1425

scotch?c1425

ochec1440

slitec1450

ranch?a1525

scorchc1550

scalp1552

mincea1560

rash?1565

beslash1581

fent1589

engrave1590

nick1592

snip1593

carbonado1596

rescide1598

skice1600

entail1601

chip1609

wriggle1612

insecate1623

carbonate1629

carbonade1634

insecta1652

flick1676

sneg1718

snick1728

slot1747

sneck1817

tame1847

bite-

the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > injure [verb (transitive)] > wound > cut

wound?c1225

cutc1275

entamec1330

slash1382

grushc1420

begash1555

gash1562

entrench1590

c1275 Laȝamon Brut 30581 He cutte [1205 nom] his owe þeh.. þar of he makede breade [= roast].

c1330 Arth. & Merl. 392 Ther was mani throte y-kitt.

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Isa. xxxvii. 1 He kutte [a1425 to rente] his clothis, and wrappid is with a sac.

c1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode (1869) 122 At the laste he kitte his owen throte.

c1503 R. Arnold Chron. f. lxiij/1 Kyt it wyth a knyf and late it be opened.

1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. cvii Cutte me, burne me, launce me.

1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 196 The ordinary tricke of cutting and slashing their skin.

1694 W. Congreve Double-dealer i. i. 8 Cut a Diamond with a Diamond.

1779 Gentleman's Mag. 49 466 No lives were lost in the riot, though one or two of the country people were cut.

1809 S. Cooper Dict. Pract. Surg. 458 He [Cheselden] cut another part of the bladder.

1885 Truth 11 June 921/1 A detective..cut the boy's head open by knocking it against a lamp-post.

1893 N.E.D. at Cut Mod. Who has cut the table-cloth?

b. Predicated also of the edged instrument or material (a knife, glass, etc.); also transferred of keen cold wind, frost, or the like.

1738 J. Swift Compl. Coll. Genteel Conversat. 198 Sharp's the Word with her; Diamonds cut Diamonds.

2. absol. or intransitive.

a. To make incision. With various prepositions as in, through, etc., or with adverbial or adjectival complement.

1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice iv. i. 277 For if the Iew doe cut but deepe enough, Ile pay it instantly with all my hart.

1691 J. Evelyn Kalendarium Hortense (ed. 8) 14 Cut close to the Stem.

1809 S. Cooper Dict. Pract. Surg. 457 Cheselden thought it unnecessary to cut on the groove of the staff.

1833 A. W. Fonblanque Eng. under Seven Admin. (1837) II. 319 [The late Parliament] excised the cancer, and it did not cut deep enough.

1861 J. S. Mill Utilitarianism (1862) 84 Any attempt on their part to cut finer.

b. Said of the instrument; also transferred and figurative. to cut both (or two) ways, to have a double or mixed effect; to have both favourable and unfavourable aspects or implications.

ΘΠ

the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > cutting > cut [verb (intransitive)]

carve?c1225

rivec1275

shearc1275

cutc1400

racea1413

incise?1541

slash1548

slive1558

hackle1577

haggle1577

slice1606

snipa1680

chip1844

bite1849

the world > existence and causation > causation > effect, result, or consequence > consequently or as a result [phrase] > have a mixed effect

to cut both (or two) waysc1400

the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > contrary evidence > lack evidence [phrase] > of evidence: be ambivalent

to cut both (or two) waysc1400

c1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. (MS. B.) 32 Cold matere streyneþ, drye matere kutteþ.

c1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. (MS. A.) 127 & þis schave schal kutte on þe side þat foldiþ ynward & it schal be blunt on þe oon side þat is outward.

a1633 G. Herbert Outlandish Prov. (1640) sig. D6^v The tongue is not steele, yet it cuts.

?1706 E. Hickeringill Priest-craft: 2nd Pt. Pref. sig. A3^v Fame, like a two-edg'd Sword, does cut both ways.

1732 G. Berkeley Alciphron II. vi. viii. 29 Edged tools are in general designed to cut.

1830 T. P. Thompson in Westm. Rev. July 243 Whether the razor did or did not cut well.

1854 J. C. Rutter Let. 23 May in M. Lutyens Millais & Ruskins (1967) 192 What you state about the Woman's Brain..might cut both ways..might not the irritant arise from want of consummation?

1866 J. Martineau Ess. Philos. & Theol. 1st Ser. 196 The charge..is double-edged, and cuts both ways.

1935 Discovery Oct. 313/1 Clever arguments cut two ways.

c. With complement (preposition, adverb, or adjective).

1713 J. Addison Cato i. vi Tormenting thought! it cuts into my soul.

1809 Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 25 Mar. 421 The argument..cuts deeper against him than for him.

1888 H. R. Haggard Col. Quaritch I. i. 7 The bullet cut through his enemy.

d. intransitive in passive sense. To suffer incision, admit of being cut: see 13.

3. To strike sharply with a whip, a thin stick or the like; to lash. Also said of the whip, etc. transitive and absol.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of striking with specific blunt weapon > strike with specific blunt weapon [verb (transitive)]

mellc1440

wapper1481

bebat1565

rib-roast1570

batonc1580

flail1582

club1593

bastonate1596

cudgel1598

rib-baste1598

shrub1599

truncheon1600

cut1607

scutch1611

macea1634

batoon1683

towel1705

quarterstaff1709

pole1728

handspike1836

blackjack1847

bludgeon1868

sandbag1887

cosh1922

sap1926

pistol-whip1930

knuckle-dust1962

the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > strike with specific thing [verb (transitive)] > strike with an object > with something pliant

yarka1529

jerk1550

whissa1578

cut1607

scutch1611

slash1660

lashc1694

whip1699

switch1832

1607 T. Dekker & J. Webster West-ward Hoe v. sig. G2^v I cut hym ouer the thumbs thus: why sir Fabian Scarcrow did I incense my husband to lend you [etc.].

1765 Ann. Reg. 278 In rugged ways, the reins and steeds Alone the skilful driver heeds, Nor stays to cut behind.

1872 W. Black Strange Adventures Phaeton xix. 275 He cut at..the hedges with his stick.

1877 H. Smart Play or Pay i. 19 Fetch me a pair of spurs and a whip that will cut.

4. Fencing, etc. (intransitive) To make a cut or slashing stroke: see cut n.² 2b.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > fencing > fence [verb (intransitive)] > actions

traversea1470

to hold one's handa1500

flourish1552

lock1579

to come in1594

retire1594

pass1595

recover1600

redouble1640

allonge1652

caveat1652

parry1671

disengage1684

overlap1692

volt1692

tierce1765

whip1771

wrench1771

lunge1809

salute1809

riposte1823

cut1833

quart1833

repost1848

remise1889

1833 Regulations Instr. Cavalry i. iv. 141/1 Recovering the sword ready to cut to the rear.

1833 Regulations Instr. Cavalry i. iv. 142 Raise the hand prepared to cut ‘One’.

1893 N.E.D. at Cut Mod. One of the dragoons cut at him.

5. figurative (transitive). To wound deeply the feelings of; to distress greatly. Now chiefly in to cut to the heart. (Cf. to cut up at Phrasal verbs; cutting adj.)

ΘΠ

the mind > emotion > suffering > mental anguish or torment > cause of mental anguish or torment > cause anguish to or torment [verb (transitive)]

quelmeOE

eatc1000

martyrOE

fretc1175

woundc1175

to-fret?c1225

gnawc1230

to-traya1250

torment1297

renda1333

anguish1340

grindc1350

wringc1374

debreakc1384

ofpinec1390

rivea1400

urn1488

reboil1528

whip1530

cruciate1532

pinch1548

spur-galla1555

agonize1570

rack1576

cut1582

excruciate1590

scorchc1595

discruciate1596

butcher1597

split1597

torture1598

lacerate1600

harrow1603

hell1614

to eat upa1616

arrow1628

martyrize1652

percruciate1656

tear1666

crucify1702

flay1782

wrench1798

kill1800

to cut up1843

1582 Bible (Rheims) Acts v. 33 When they had heard these things, it cut them to the hart.

c1680 W. Beveridge Serm. (1729) II. 4 Every word in it will cut them to the heart.

1688 S. Penton Guardian's Instr. 75 Never..upbraid him with his Follies before Strangers; this may cut him too much, and never be forgotten.

1782 F. Burney Cecilia II. iv. i. 134 He says something so sorrowful that it cuts us to the soul!

1805 C. Lamb Let. 10 Nov. in Lett. C. & M. A. Lamb (1976) II. 189 I have been very much cut about it indeed.

a1871 T. Carlyle in J. W. Carlyle Lett. & Memorials (1883) III. 243 Often enough had it cut me to the heart to think what she was suffering.

†6. figurative. To rebuke severely, to upbraid. Obsolete.

ΘΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > rebuke or reproof > rebuke or reprove [verb (transitive)] > severely

dressc1405

wipe1523

to take up1530

whip1530

to shake upa1556

trounce1607

castigatea1616

lasha1616

objurgate1616

thunderstrike1638

snub1672

drape1683

cut1737

rowa1798

score1812

to dress down1823

to pitch into ——1823

wig1829

to row (a person) up1838

to catch or get Jesse1839

slate1840

drop1853

to drop (down) to or on (to)1859

to give (a person) rats1862

to jump upon1868

to give (a person) fits1871

to give it to someone (pretty) stiff1880

lambaste1886

ruck1899

bollock1901

bawl1903

scrub1911

burn1914

to hang, draw, and quarter1930

to tear a strip off1940

to tear (someone) off a strip1940

brass1943

rocket1948

bitch1952

tee1955

fan-

1737 W. Whiston tr. Josephus Antiq. Jews ii. vi, in tr. Josephus Genuine Wks. 45 Reubel also was large in cutting them upon this occasion.

II. To make incision through.

a. transitive. To divide into two or more parts with a sharp-edged instrument; to sever. Used simply of cord, string, and the like, and of bread, wood, or other articles cut for use. Const. in two (†a-two), asunder, etc.; in, into parts or pieces; also with adjective complement. Cf. to cut up, to cut down at Phrasal verbs.

ΘΠ

the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > action of dividing or divided condition > division by cutting > divide by cutting [verb (transitive)]

cutc1300

shed13..

tamec1400

to-carvec1400

discidea1513

share?1566

shred?1566

dissect1608

slit1638

disecta1690

sned1889

c1300 K. Alis. 2709 Mony hed atwo y-kyt.

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 165 Sche..kutte þe hyde into a þong þat was ful long and ful smal.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 16554 (MED) Þei..cut þis tre in two.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 8875 Wiþ ax he walde haue kut hit [sc. the tree] þan.

c1430 Freemasonry (1844) 735 (Mätz.) Kette thy bred al at thy mete Rigth as hyt may be ther yete.

c1430 Two Cookery-bks. 21 Take clowes and kutte hem.

1490 W. Caxton tr. Foure Sonnes of Aymon (1885) i. 56 He cutted hym asonder.

a1542 T. Wyatt Coll. Poems (1969) ccxxviii. 8 With his fatall knif the thrid for to kitt.

1653 H. Cogan tr. F. M. Pinto Voy. & Adventures xix. 67 Cutting her cables..and sailing away with all the speed he could.

1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 371 The Dutch way of cutting and eating asparagus.

b. figurative. To sever, divide (a connection, association, etc.).

1625 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 156 It [sc. Friendship] redoubleth Ioyes, and cutteth Griefes in Halfes.

1671 J. Dryden Evening's Love iv. 70 'Tis well there was no love betwixt us; for they [your scissars] had been too dull to cut it.

1876 E. Jenkins Blot on Queen's Head 13 The innkeeper..is a fool if he suddenly cuts the associations which endear it to all his customers.

c. to cut to (or in) pieces: (figurative) to rout in battle with great slaughter.

ΘΠ

society > armed hostility > victory > make victorious [verb (transitive)] > conquer or overcome

overcomeeOE

shendc893

awinc1000

overwinOE

overheaveOE

to lay downa1225

mate?c1225

discomfitc1230

win1297

dauntc1300

cumber1303

scomfit1303

fenkc1320

to bear downc1330

confoundc1330

confusec1330

to do, put arrear1330

oversetc1330

vanquishc1330

conquerc1374

overthrowc1375

oppressc1380

outfighta1382

to put downa1382

discomfortc1384

threshc1384

vencuea1400

depressc1400

venque?1402

ding?a1425

cumrayc1425

to put to (also at, unto) the (also one's) worsec1425

to bring or put to (or unto) utterance1430

distrussc1430

supprisec1440

ascomfita1450

to do stress?c1450

victorya1470

to make (win) a conquest1477

convanquish1483

conquest1485

defeat1485

oversailc1485

conques1488

discomfish1488

fulyie1488

distress1489

overpress1489

cravent1490

utter?1533

to give (a person) the overthrow1536

debel1542

convince1548

foil1548

out-war1548

profligate1548

proflige?c1550

expugnate1568

expugn1570

victor1576

dismay1596

damnify1598

triumph1605

convict1607

overman1609

thrash1609

beat1611

debellate1611

import1624

to cut to (or in) pieces1632

maitrise1636

worst1636

forcea1641

outfight1650

outgeneral1767

to cut up1803

smash1813

slosh1890

ream1918

hammer1948

1632 J. Hayward tr. G. F. Biondi Eromena 79 The foote were cut all to pieces.

1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall III. 235 [He] surprised and cut in pieces, a considerable body of Goths.

1838 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece (new ed.) II. 347 The Theban cavalry..suddenly fell upon them, cut to pieces six hundred, and drove them into the hills.

d. slang. To divide or share (spoils, profits, etc.); to receive (a share). Also intransitive. Cf. cut n.² 24d.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > giving > distributing or dealing out > distribute or deal out [verb (intransitive)] > divide and share > and each take a portion

share1597

split1674

cut1928

the mind > possession > giving > distributing or dealing out > distribute or deal out [verb (transitive)] > divide into shares > divide and share out

dealc1000

shiftc1000

to-partc1325

partc1330

departa1340

divide1377

portion?a1400

dressc1410

parcel1416

skiftc1420

describe1535

repart1540

sever1548

disparklea1552

enterparten1556

share1577

to share out1583

repartitec1603

dispart1629

parcena1641

cavel1652

partage1660

split1674

snack1675

partition1740

scantle1749

appart1798

whack1819

divvy1877

number1887

cut1928

1928 E. Wallace Again Three Just Men x. 216 It was wicked..that anybody should have so much money if he could not ‘cut’ his share.

1932 E. Wallace When Gangs came to London xxviii. 278 ‘The other fellows’ had refused to ‘cut’.

a. spec. To carve (meat); also absol.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation for table or cooking > preparation of meat > dress animals for food [verb (transitive)] > carve

shearc1330

unlacec1400

smitea1500

carve1529

to cut up1574

cuta1616

a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) i. iii. 117 And. Faith, I can cut a caper. To. And I can cut the Mutton too't.

1738 J. Swift Compl. Coll. Genteel Conversat. 121 Don't cut like a Mother-in-Law, but send me a large Slice.

1888 H. R. Haggard Col. Quaritch x Ida allowed Mr. Quest to cut her some cold boiled beef.

b. (slang or colloquial) to cut it too fat: to ‘come it strong’, overdo a thing.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > quantity > sufficient quantity, amount, or degree > excessive amount or degree > be excessive [verb (intransitive)]

overdoa1325

exceed1488

to pass, be above or beyond, God's forbodec1540

overreacha1568

overlaunch1579

overact1611

overboil1611

to overstep the mark (also line)1827

to cut it too fat1836

to break bounds1856

1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 1st Ser. I. 143 Gentlemen, in alarming waistcoats and steel watch-guards..‘cutting it uncommon fat!’

1853 G. W. Curtis Potiphar Papers iii. 131 But to have a philosopher of the Sennaar school show you why you are so, is cutting it rather too fat.

c. to cut fine: see fine adv. 4.

a. To make a narrow opening through (a dyke, etc.), or through the bank of (a canal), so as to let the water escape.

ΘΠ

the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > stream > [verb (transitive)] > lead or extend a watercourse or channel > cut out a channel

cut1590

channel1816

1590 [implied in: E. Webbe Rare & Wonderfull Things (new ed.) 21 There we staide to see the cutting or parting of the Riuer of Nilo..vpon the 25 of August. (at cutting n. 1)].

1677 London Gaz. No. 1232/3 Report said the French..had cut the Canal.

1710 London Gaz. 4582/1 Orders are..given for cutting the Scarpe at Bioche..in order to draw off the Water..into the adjacent Marshes.

1831 Visct. Palmerston Let. 23 Aug. in H. L. Bulwer Life Palmerston (1870) II. 117 This extensive inundation was carried into effect by cutting the great sea-dykes.

b. Mining. To intersect (a vein of ore).

ΚΠ

1778 W. Pryce Mineralogia Cornubiensis 319 Cut, to intersect a vein, branch, or lode by driving horizontally or sinking perpendicularly.

1881 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Engineers 1880–1 9 125 Cut, to intersect a vein or working.

c. with through.

1883 Manch. Guardian 15 Oct. 5/7 To shorten the course of the river..by cutting through the neck of the low land opposite Greenwich.

d. to cut and cover: to plough so that the furrow-slice is turned over on an unploughed strip. U.S.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > breaking up land > ploughing > plough (of person) [verb (intransitive)] > methods of turning furrow

to gather up1762

split1808

to cut and cover1839

back-furrow1855

1839 [see sense 52a].

1861 Trans. Illinois State Agric. Soc. 1859–60 4 111 Mr. Mills is not in favor of any implement that ‘cuts and covers’. Col. Harris.. says that cutting and covering is practiced by some of the Scioto farmers.

10. To break up, reduce, or dissolve the viscidity of (a liquid, phlegm, etc.).

ΘΠ

the world > matter > liquid > making or becoming liquid > make liquid [verb (transitive)]

resolvea1398

flow1413

distilc1470

flux1477

liquefy1547

cut1578

uncrud1598

illiquefact1599

resolve1604

infuse1607

egelidate1609

eliquate1621

liquidate1656

diffude1657

liquate1669

colliquate1680

solve1794

liquidize1837

fluidify1849

1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball ii. lxxv. 248 The same..cutteth or severeth the grosse humors.

1657 W. Coles Adam in Eden lxxv Hyssop..cutteth and breaketh tough Phlegme.

1698 J. Petiver in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 20 333 The Root..taken in Water corrects and cuts tough Phleagm.

1743 W. Ellis Suppl. to London & Country Brewer (ed. 2) 305 It will cut and cure a Butt of ropy Beer.

11. To separate the leaves of (a book) by cutting through the folds of the sheets with a paper knife. (More fully to cut open.)

ΘΠ

society > communication > book > [verb (transitive)] > cut open leaves of book

cut1786

open1815

the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > open [verb (transitive)] > cut open

openOE

to-slita1250

undoc1440

unrip1481

to cut open1786

1786 F. Burney Diary 2 Aug. (1842) III. 42 The Queen had given me a new collection of German books..to cut open for her.

1848 W. M. Thackeray Lett. 28 July I thought I would begin to cut open a book I had bought.

1893 N.E.D. at Cut Mod. This book is not cut. I have cut a few leaves at the beginning.

12.

a. To divide with an edged instrument, as an axe, saw, sickle, etc. (a natural growth) for the purpose of taking the part detached; to reap (corn), mow (grass), hew (timber), etc.This passes into branch III.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > lumbering > [verb (transitive)] > fell timber

fellOE

hewc1000

hewc1175

cutc1300

falla1325

stockc1440

to take down1818

droop1819

the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > cultivation of plants or crops > harvesting > harvest (a crop) [verb (transitive)] > reap or mow a crop

moweOE

reapeOE

cutc1300

sheara1325

barb1652

demess1657

hack1681

c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 942 Al that euere shulden he nytte, Al he drow, and al he citte.

c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1839) xv. 168 Whan it is ripe..than men kytten hem.

1419 in Surtees Misc. (1890) 14 Thay that has taken tham to ferme..sall kytte the herbage.

1512 Act 4 Hen. VIII c. 1 §4 It [shall] be laufull..to cutte and to hew heth in any mannes grounde.

1611 Bible (King James) 2 Chron. ii. 8 Thy servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon.

1817 W. Selwyn Abridgem. Law Nisi Prius (ed. 4) II. 1218 Until it [the crop] was cut and carried away.

b. The object may be unexpressed, or may be the ground on which the crop grows.

1789 Trans. Soc. Arts (ed. 2) 2 73 I cut one perch of ground..the produce of which weighed five hundred and one pounds.

1876 J. Saunders Lion in Path i The more distant meadows are cut.

1892 Sporting & Dram. News 14 May 328/2 The mowers have commenced ‘cutting’ at the earliest streak of daylight.

13.

a. intransitive (in passive sense). To suffer incision, to get cut; to admit of being cut; to turn out of a specified quality on being cut.

ΘΠ

the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > cutting > cut [verb (intransitive)] > be cut

cut1560

1560 Nice Wanton in W. C. Hazlitt Dodsley's Sel. Coll. Old Eng. Plays (1874) II. 172 I will make your knave's flesh cut.

1642 T. Fuller Holy State iii. xxiii. 218 None could come near to feel his estate; it might therefore cut fatter in his purse.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Alabaster Alabaster cuts very smooth and easy.

1834 T. Medwin Angler in Wales II. 138 The trout..cut red.

1839 T. De Quincey Dinner in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Dec. 822/2 Who would think that a nonentity could cut up into so many somethings?

1882 G. S. Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 157 Chain..is not so liable to cut against rocks.

1893 N.E.D. at Cut Mod. The cloth does not cut to advantage.

b. To yield when cut or shorn (as sheep). Also of land, to yield as a crop.With adverb complement passing into simple object.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > land raising crops > [verb (intransitive)] > yield a crop

cropa1616

sprout1683

cut1754

1754 in Essex Inst. Hist. Coll. (1907) XLIII. 90 The Pasturing good..and cuts enough to keep all the stock.

a1839 J. Buel Farmer's Compan. (1840) 211 One acre of good grass will cut three tons of hay, or keep a cow... Four acres of lean, poor grass will cut little more..than three tons of hay.

1854 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 15 i. 228 The Hampshiredowns..cut a heavier fleece than the Southdowns.

1858 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 19 i. 59 The half-breds cut less wool than the Shropshire Downs.

1872 1st Rep. Vermont State Board Agric. 1871–2 351 It would cut only hay enough to winter four cattle.

1923 R. D. Paine Comrades Rolling Ocean x. 169 I quit the sea for a spell to run my own place—she cuts thirty ton o' hay.

III. To separate or detach with an edged tool.

14.

a. transitive. To separate or remove by cutting; to sever from the main body; to lop off. With const. from or equivalent preposition, or adverb complement, as adrift; also frequently cut away, cut off, cut out. †to cut a purse: to steal it by cutting it from the girdle to which it was suspended.

ΘΠ

the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > cutting or stealing purses > cut or steal purses [verb (intransitive)]

to cut a pursea1300

nip1567

purse1616

the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separate [verb (transitive)] > separate by force or violence > by cutting

cuta1300

uncut1611

the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > detach [verb (transitive)] > cut off

becarveOE

carvec1000

hewc1000

shredc1275

cuta1300

chapc1325

cleavec1330

off-shearc1330

withscore1340

to cut offc1380

colea1400

slivea1400

to score awayc1400

abscisea1500

discidea1513

sharea1529

off-trenchc1530

off-hewc1540

pare1549

detrench1553

slice?1560

detrunk1566

sneck1578

resect1579

shred1580

curtail1594

off-chop1594

lop?1602

disbranch1608

abscind1610

snip1611

circumcise1613

desecate1623

discerpa1628

amputate1638

absciss1639

prescind1640

notch1820

a1300 E.E. Psalter cxviii. 39 Cute mine up-braidinge [ Wyclif 1382 Kut of my repref, 1388 Kitte awey my schen~schip].

1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 3715 Þe lymes þat er cutted fra þe body.

1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis II. 347 Till he the mannes purs have kut.

c1450 Mirour Saluacioun 2603 All the braunches of the tree shuld be kitted.

?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1871) III. 473 Thauȝhe Alexander kytte [L. absciderit] myne hede he may not sle my sawle.

1585 in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1824) II. 297 There, was a schole howse sett upp to learne younge boyes to cutt purses.

1632 J. Story tr. Short Surv. Sweden 84 Cut out of his mothers wombe.

1694 Acct. Several Late Voy. (1711) ii. 173 So cut the Fat from it by pieces.

1745 P. Thomas True Jrnl. Voy. South-Seas 175 We were obliged..to cut the Raft adrift.

1842 T. P. Thompson Exercises VI. 413 Halfpenny-worths of bread cut off the loaf.

†b. = cut off at sense 14a. Obsolete.

1583 T. Stocker tr. Tragicall Hist. Ciuile Warres Lowe Countries i. 72 b Hee made also a bridge ouer the Maze, that he myght..cut the enemie from victuals.

1789 Triumphs of Fortitude II. 63 We cannot be cut from the privileges..of friendship.

c. transferred. = to cut out 4 at Phrasal verbs. U.S.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > animal keeping practices general > herding, pasturing, or confining > [verb (transitive)] > cut out

ride1790

shed1791

shoot1824

to run off1861

to cut out1862

cut1903

1903 A. Adams Log of Cowboy ii. 13 Flood had the first pick, and cut twelve bays and browns.

IV. To pass through as in cutting.

15.

a. transitive. To divide, separate, pierce, intersect, run into or through: expressing relative position, not motion. Also intransitive with through, etc. and to cut across (figurative).

ΘΠ

the world > space > relative position > fact or condition of being transverse > intersection > intersect [verb (transitive)]

crossc1400

overcarvec1400

cut?a1475

intersect1615

decussate1658

decuss1782

transect1861

the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > outdoing or surpassing > outdo or surpass [verb (transitive)] > go beyond (bounds) > not recognize (boundaries)

to cut across1927

?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1869) II. 47 And from that hit [sc. Watling Street] kyttethe ouer [L. transcindit] Seuerne nye to Worcestre.

a1593 C. Marlowe Tragicall Hist. Faustus (1616) sig. D^v Just through the midst runnes flowing Tybers streame, With winding bankes that cut it in two parts.

1665 T. Herbert Some Years Trav. (new ed.) 31 Places very hot..in regard the Æquinoctial cuts them.

1811 J. Pinkerton Petralogy I. 314 Serpentine mountains, which it [steatite] cuts through in small, perpendicular, or rake veins.

18.. J. G. Whittier Norembega vii Yon spire..That cuts the evening sky.

1885 Law Rep.: Queen's Bench Div. 14 919 The old part of the path which the line had cut across.

1927 A. M. Carr-Saunders & D. C. Jones Surv. Social Struct. Eng. & Wales 83 But these other associations cut across industrial, occupational, and income classifications.

1960 R. Davies Voice from Attic 38 We exist as a class which cuts across all classes.

b. Geometry. Of a line (or surface): To pass through or across, to cross (a line or surface), intersect.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > geometry > line > linearize [verb (transitive)] > have contact

touch1551

cut1570

to fall upon ——1570

1570 H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. i. f. 33 The two pointes, where the circumference of the circle cutteth the lines.

1660 tr. I. Barrow Euclide's Elements iii. 49 The right line FG cuts the circle FED.

1746 Tom Thumb's Trav. Eng. 114 Most of the Streets..cut one another at Right Angles.

1862 I. Todhunter Elem. Euclid i. xv If two straight lines cut one another, the vertical, or opposite, angles shall be equal.

16.

†a. To cross (a line): expressing motion. Obsolete.

ΘΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement over, across, through, or past > [verb (transitive)] > across

overgoeOE

to come overeOE

to go over ——OE

overcome?c1225

passc1300

overpassa1382

cross1583

traject1624

cut1634

1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 11 The last of May after a storme wee cut the Tropique of Capricorne.

1642 T. Fuller Holy State ii. xxi. 136 Then cutting the Line, they saw the face of that heaven which earth hideth from us.

b. To come across, strike, hit upon (a path, etc.). esp. U.S. with trail. Also elliptical.

ΚΠ

1892 Field 23 Jan. 119/1 At length we cut our spoor again, and hunted it along carefully and slowly.

1899 T. W. Hall Tales 19 One of his men dashes breathlessly in..with the exciting report that he has cut the raiders' trail.

1903 A. Adams Log of Cowboy vii. 90 If you have no authority to cut this trail then you don't cut this herd.

1903 A. Adams Log of Cowboy vii. 90 They were merely cutting (trail cutting) in the interest of the immediate locality.

17. intransitive. To cross, to pass straight through or across; esp. cut over, cut across (adv. or preposition).

ΘΠ

society > travel > [verb (intransitive)] > pass straight through or across

cut1551

to cut over1551

cleave1655

1551 in Acts Privy Council (1891) III. 320 The Marishall..woll passe by lande to Dovour, and from thens cutt over to Bulloigne.

1576 W. Lambarde Perambulation of Kent 207 Thus haue I walked about this whole Diocoese: now therefore let me cutte ouer to Watlingstreete.

1581 J. Marbeck Bk. Notes & Common Places 163 Except the ships cut and take course even justlie betweene both, they hardlie scape drowning.

1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. xxviii. ii. 669 b Before that he cut over the streights of Gibraltar to Gades.

1610 J. Guillim Display of Heraldrie iii. ii. 88 Cutting thorow the Magelanike Straits..he encompassed the whole world.

1823 New Monthly Mag. 8 500 A few of the most active cut across to the shallows.

1858 R. S. Surtees Ask Mamma xiv. 47 They cut across the deer studded park.

18.

a. transitive. To pass sharply through, cleave (the air, the water).

ΘΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement over, across, through, or past > [verb (transitive)] > through > sharply

cleave1558

cuta1571

harrow1582

divide1590

a1571 W. Haddon in A. Fleming Panoplie Epist. (1576) 423 Shippes..cut the waves as they are furthered with a merrie winde.

1596 E. Spenser Hymne Heauenly Loue in Fowre Hymnes 69 With nimble wings to cut the skies.

1696 N. Tate & N. Brady New Version Psalms of David viii. 8 The Fish that cuts the Seas.

1707 I. Watts Hymns & Spirited Songs i. 48 Swift as an Eagle cuts the Air.

1870 W. C. Bryant tr. Homer Iliad I. ii. 74 In his beaked galleys, swift to cut the sea.

b. intransitive with through.

ΘΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement over, across, through, or past > [verb (intransitive)] > through > sharply

cut1609

cleave1655

knife1920

1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida i. iii. 39 Behold The strong ribbd barke through liquid mountaines cut.

1694 Acct. Several Late Voy. (1711) ii. 33 This same noise the Ships make likewise when they cut through the Sea.

1728 A. Pope Dunciad i. 168 And pond'rous slugs cut swiftly thro' the sky.

1848 W. M. Thackeray Lett. 28 July The ship cutting through the water at fifteen miles an hour.

19. slang or colloquial (intransitive)

a. To run away, make off, ‘be off’. Also to cut it. (See also to cut and run at sense 41.) Originally with away, off.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going away > go away [verb (intransitive)] > go away quietly or gradually (of things)

to-glidea1000

atslip?c1225

atslikec1400

to pass off1708

cut1836

silt1863

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going away > go away [verb (intransitive)] > go away suddenly or hastily

fleec825

runOE

swervea1225

biwevec1275

skip1338

streekc1380

warpa1400

yerna1400

smoltc1400

stepc1460

to flee (one's) touch?1515

skirr1548

rubc1550

to make awaya1566

lope1575

scuddle1577

scoura1592

to take the start1600

to walk off1604

to break awaya1616

to make off1652

to fly off1667

scuttle1681

whew1684

scamper1687

whistle off1689

brush1699

to buy a brush1699

to take (its, etc.) wing1704

decamp1751

to take (a) French leave1751

morris1765

to rush off1794

to hop the twig1797

to run along1803

scoot1805

to take off1815

speela1818

to cut (also make, take) one's lucky1821

to make (take) tracks (for)1824

absquatulize1829

mosey1829

absquatulate1830

put1834

streak1834

vamoose1834

to put out1835

cut1836

stump it1841

scratch1843

scarper1846

to vamoose the ranch1847

hook1851

shoo1851

slide1859

to cut and run1861

get1861

skedaddle1862

bolt1864

cheese it1866

to do a bunkc1870

to wake snakes1872

bunk1877

nit1882

to pull one's freight1884

fooster1892

to get the (also to) hell out (of)1892

smoke1893

mooch1899

to fly the coop1901

skyhoot1901

shemozzle1902

to light a shuck1905

to beat it1906

pooter1907

to take a run-out powder1909

blow1912

to buzz off1914

to hop it1914

skate1915

beetle1919

scram1928

amscray1931

boogie1940

skidoo1949

bug1950

do a flit1952

to do a scarper1958

to hit, split or take the breeze1959

to do a runner1980

to be (also get, go) ghost1986

1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. vi. sig. R2^v It [sc. a boat] cut away vpon the yielding waue.

1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. i. i. 29 I feare to faint, if at the first, too faste I cut away, and make too-hastie haste.

1678 C. Cotton Scarronnides (new ed.) 90 Put on the wings that use to bear ye, And cut away to Carthage quickly.

1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 1st Ser. I. 92 The linen-draper cut off..leaving the landlord his compliments and the key.

1844 Peter Parley's Ann. 140 The door of her prison was opened, and the turnkey told her that she might ‘cut’.

1847 C. Dickens Dombey & Son (1848) xv. 156 Mr. Toodle..tapped her on the back; and said..‘Polly! cut away!’

1858 A. Trollope Dr. Thorne I. ix. 202 Now, my lady, do you cut it, cut at once.

c1867 T. W. Robertson Caste i. 7 I did get leave, and I did cut away; and while away, I was miserable.

1882 Macmillan's Mag. 46 443 I looked out of the tail of my eye, to see what she was doing, but she'd cut.

1932 A. J. Worrall Eng. Idioms 67 The prefect told the small boy to cut off.

b. Hence, To move sharply, to run rapidly. With various adverbs and prepositions. Also with along, out. to cut round (U.S. colloquial): to make a display; to act in a lively, gay fashion.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > move swiftly [verb (intransitive)]

lakeOE

flyOE

runOE

scour13..

jace1393

hie1398

spina1400

fleetc1400

glentc1400

stripc1400

suea1450

carryc1450

speed1488

scud1532

streek1598

winga1616

to clip it1616

hackney1617

swifta1618

whirryc1630

dust1673

whew1684

race1702

stroke1735

cut1797

spank1807

skid1815

speela1818

crack1824

skimmer1824

slap1827

clip1832

skeet1838

marvel1841

lick1850

travel1850

rush1852

zip1852

sail1876

rabbit1887

move1906

high-tail1908

to ball the jack1914

buzz1914

shift1922

giddap1938

burn1942

hoosh1943

bomb1966

shred1977

1797 B. Hawkins Lett. (1916) 126 He was driving a wagon at the time he was taken, and they cut out and took the horses with him.

1834 S. Smith Sel. Lett. Major Jack Downing lvi. 139 What made us cut back so quick from Concord?

1834 D. Crockett Narr. Life 63 I saw a little woman streaking it along through the woods like all wrath, and so I cut on too.

1834 D. Crockett Narr. Life 65 I took my eldest brother..and cut out to her father's house to get her.

a1852 F. M. Whitcher Widow Bedott Papers (1856) 91 They say she cut round and hollered and laffed and tried to be wonderful interestin'.

1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days ii. iii. 273 We all cut upstairs after the Doctor.

1859 in J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms (ed. 2) Instead of sticking to me as she used to do, she got to cuttin' round with all the young fellows, just as if she cared nothin' about me no more.

1864 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1865) I. ii. viii. 240 I'll cut back and ask for leave.

1873 W. Black Princess of Thule xiv. 219 And now the carriage cut round the corner.

1878 ‘Stonehenge’ Brit. Rural Sports (ed. 14) i. i. vii. §10. 109 The rabbits..cut in and out of the rides or runs.

1879 F. R. Stockton Rudder Grange viii. 86 [The dog] was only cuttin' round because he was so glad to get loose.

1902 E. Nesbit Five Children & It ix. 237 You'll be late for your grub!.. Then cut along home.

1932 A. J. Worrall Eng. Idioms 68 I told him to cut out and buy some tea.

1949 ‘M. Innes’ Journeying Boy ii. 25 ‘And now you'd better cut along.’ Captain Cox was a great believer in the moral effects of abrupt dismissals on the young.

1958 T. Williams Orpheus Descending iii. 88 Lady. So you're—cutting out, are you? Val. My gear's all packed. I'm catchin' the southbound bus.

c. To get up behind a vehicle. U.S.

ΚΠ

1848 Popular Songs 36 Another calls out ‘cut behind’.

1860 O. W. Holmes Professor at Breakfast-table viii. 245 Here is a boy that loves to..chalk doorsteps, ‘cut behind’ anything on wheels or runners [etc.].

V. To shorten or reduce by cutting.

20. transitive. To shorten or reduce by cutting off a portion; to trim, clip, shear; to prune.

ΘΠ

the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > longitudinal extent > shortness > make short(er) [verb (transitive)] > (as if) by cutting

crop?c1225

dockc1380

cutc1385

trunk?1440

coll1483

scut1530

to cut, trim, etc. short1545

prune1565

bobtail1577

curtail1580

lop1594

decurtate1599

imp1657

truncate1727

abridge1750

bob1822

c1385 G. Chaucer Legend Good Women Dido. 973 Hire clothis cutte were un-to the kne.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 7240 Quilis he slep scho cutt his her.

c1420 Pallad. on Husb. i. 127 To kytte a vyne is thinges iij to attende.

c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 111 Cutte vynes, puto.

1666 A. Wood Life & Times (1892) II. 69 To my barber for cutting my haire, 6d.

1878 J. Morley Diderot I. 136 Diderot and his colleagues are cutting their wings for a flight to posterity.

21.

a. figurative. To curtail, abridge, shorten, reduce; to shorten (a play, etc.) by omitting portions; = to cut short at sense 43, to cut down at Phrasal verbs.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > non-fiction > summary or epitome > summarize or abridge [verb (transitive)] > abridge by excision

cut1413

1413 J. Lydgate Pilgr. of Sowle (1859) ii. xliii. 49 Glosynge, cuttynge, kouerynge, and cloutynge the lawe of Crystes gospel.

1584 King James VI & I Ess. Prentise Poesie sig. Kiij Maist kyndis of versis quhilks are not cuttit or brokin.

1865 Pall Mall Gaz. 24 July 11/1 In ‘cutting’ an opera it is not to be supposed that any two persons will agree as to what ought to be left out.

1888 Standard 14 May The market has begun to cut rates again.

1930 Publishers' Circular 5 July 5/3 Many publishers have told us they are cutting their lists.

b. imperative (slang) = to cut out at Phrasal verbs (see to cut out 1 at Phrasal verbs below). Colloquial phrase cut the cackle (see cackle n. 3a).

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > ceasing > cease activity [verb (intransitive)] > leave off! or stop it!

to do waya1325

stay1601

go and eat coke1669

to leave off1785

whoa1838

drop it!1843

cut1859

turn it up1867

to come off ——1896

to chuck it1901

knock it off!1902

cut it out1903

nix1903

break it down1941

to shove it1941

leave it out!1969

1859 J. C. Hotten Dict. Slang 28 Cut,..to cease doing anything.

1859 J. C. Hotten Dict. Slang 28 Cut that, be quiet, or stop.

a1871 T. W. Robertson Caste i. 6 Geo. Well, then, eighteen months ago — Haw. Oh, cut that; you told me all about that.

1907 E. S. Field Six-cylinder Courtship 54 ‘My dear fellow—’ I began. ‘Cut it!’ he commanded.

1919 F. Hurst Humoresque 314 Come on, Herm, cut the comedy. It's time we were getting across to our hotel.

c. To outdo, excel. Cf. senses to cut down 5 at Phrasal verbs, to cut out 6 at Phrasal verbs below. Chiefly U.S. in modern use (see quot. 1952).

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > outdoing or surpassing > outdo or surpass [verb (transitive)]

overstyeOE

overshinec1175

overgoc1225

passc1225

surmountc1369

forpassc1374

overmatcha1375

overpassa1382

to pass overa1393

overcomec1400

outpass?a1425

exceedc1425

precedec1425

superexcelc1429

transcendc1430

precel?a1439

outcut1447

overgrowc1475

to come over ——a1479

excel1493

overleapa1500

vanquish1533

outweigh1534

prevent1540

better1548

preferc1550

outgo1553

surpassa1555

exsuperate1559

cote1566

overtop1567

outrun1575

outstrip1579

outsail1580

overruna1586

pre-excel1587

outbid1589

outbrave1589

out-cote1589

top1590

outmatch1593

outvie1594

superate1595

surbravec1600

oversile1608

over-height1611

overstride1614

outdoa1616

outlustrea1616

outpeera1616

outstrikea1616

outrival1622

antecede1624

out-top1624

antecell1625

out-pitch1627

over-merit1629

outblazea1634

surmatch1636

overdoa1640

overact1643

outact1644

worst1646

overspana1657

outsoar1674

outdazzle1691

to cut down1713

ding1724

to cut out1738

cap1821

by-pass1848

overtower1850

pretergress1851

outray1876

outreach1879

cut1884

outperform1937

outrate1955

one-up1963

1884 Referee 13 Apr. 1/4 George's performance..is hardly likely to be disturbed for a long time to come, unless he cuts it himself.

1897 Penrith Obs. 21 Dec. (E.D.D.) He went thirteen feet t'first lowp, but I cut him bi' three inch.

1952 B. Ulanov Hist. Jazz in Amer. xxv. 351 (Gloss.) ‘Cut’ also means to best a soloist or band in competition.

d. to cut a corner or corners: to pass round a corner or corners as closely as possible; figurative, to pursue an economical or easy but hazardous course of action; to act in an unorthodox manner to save time; also, to act illegally.

ΘΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > proceed rapidly [verb (intransitive)] > take quick and easy course of action

to cut a corner or corners1869

the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > swift movement in specific manner > move swiftly in specific manner [verb (intransitive)] > move with urgent speed > pass round corners as closely as possible

to cut a corner or corners1869

1869 ‘M. Twain’ Innocents Abroad xxiii. 229 He cuts a corner so closely now and then..that I feel myself ‘scrooching’, as the children say.

1898 R. Kipling Day's Work 342 It was at this point that he began to cut corners.

1909 M. Diver Candles in Wind 57 Her husband's tendency to ‘cut corners’ when confronted with awkward facts.

1915 Cape 1 xx. 38 They turn out of side-streets at high speed, and cut corners in a dangerous manner.

1957 W. H. Whyte Organization Man 292 A disciplining force that helped them resist the temptation to cut corners.

1966 ‘S. Ransome’ Hidden Hour xii. 149 He could cut a sharp corner without letting it bother his conscience.

1966 ‘S. Woods’ Enter Certain Murderers ii. 41 If Dad had cut any corners, I think I'd have known about it.

e. (Cinematography, Radio.) transitive. To edit (a film, etc.). Also intransitive, to make a quick transition from one shot to the next. imperative. A signal to stop.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > editing > edit [verb (transitive)]

re-edit1785

cut1913

edit1913

to cut in1928

cheat1929

cross-cut1933

intercut1953

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > filming > special effect > special effects [verb (transitive)] > cut

cut1913

to cut back1913

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > filming > signals to cameras [interjection]

cut1937

roll1937

1913 [see to cut back 4 at Phrasal verbs].

1916 E. W. Sargent Technique Photoplay (ed. 3) 184 You can cut to some single person who overlooks the crime and later tells the story.

1916 E. W. Sargent Techn. Photoplay (ed. 3) 191 Another effective use is cutting from a person unknowingly approaching destruction to the person who seeks to bring about the catastrophe.

1937 Amer. Speech 12 100 Cut is used by [radio] production men as an imperative to halt a rehearsal.

1938 Times 7 Jan. 13/6 In front of the [television] producer sit the sound engineer controlling total output, and the sound mixer selecting and cutting it.

1947 D. Lean in O. Blakeston Working for Films 29 The scene should be cut like this.

1953 K. Reisz Technique Film Editing iii. xiv. 240 We cut to a closer shot of Pip.

1959 Elizabethan June 26/1 When the director wants to stop the camera he calls out ‘Cut’.

1960 N. Kneale Quatermass & Pit i. 11 Cut—to the excavation.

1960 N. Kneale Quatermass & Pit i. 12 Cut—to where a spadeful of clay is being swung down from the truck.

f. transitive and intransitive. To cut out (see to cut out 18 at Phrasal verbs below).

ΘΠ

the world > action or operation > ceasing > cease activity [verb (intransitive)] > specifically of things, actions, or processes > specifically of a machine or mechanism

standc1175

to run down1665

stop1789

seize1878

to go phut1888

to cut out1910

conk1917

cut1938

trip out1940

phut1959

the world > action or operation > ceasing > cease from (an action or operation) [verb (transitive)] > cause to cease or put a stop to > cause (a thing) to cease action > specific electricity or a motor

kill1886

to cut out1910

to turn off1921

cut1938

1938 E. Hemingway Fifth Column (1939) iii. ii. 88 Cut those lights!

1957 Granta 9 Mar. 19/1 Then I would lie down on my back watching them, hoping their engines wouldn't cut just then.

1958 ‘N. Shute’ Rainbow & Rose i. 34 I gave her a little throttle..and then cut it as she rolled on to the grass.

1970 D. MacKenzie Kyle Contract (1971) 12 He drove into his carport and cut the motor.

22.

a. Dyeing. To reduce (a colour) to a softer shade.

ΚΠ

1862 C. O'Neill Dict. Calico Printing 149/2 The colours are cut or reduced by passing the pieces in warm water containing very acid oxymuriate of tin.

b. To dilute or adulterate. Chiefly U.S.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > take drugs [verb (transitive)] > dilute or adulterate drugs

cut1930

the world > food and drink > drink > preparation of drinks > [verb (transitive)] > dilute or adulterate

watera1387

brew1520

geld1668

to water down1866

reface1887

cut1930

the world > matter > liquid > making or becoming liquid > action or process of dilution > dilute [verb (transitive)]

thinc1000

woke1377

watera1387

allayc1450

delay1543

dilute1691

lower1698

to water down1866

cut1930

1930 J. P. Burke in Amer. Mercury Dec. 455/1 We don't cut hooch any more.

1938 Amer. Speech 13 190/2 Other types of narcotics are cut.

1954 Encounter July 27/2 My wife..had a cup of coffee cut with bourbon ready for me.

1955 Times 9 Aug. 6/1 Most of the wine..when mixed or ‘cut’ with Algerian wine, provides a good deal of the ordinary vin courant.

1966 Guardian 31 Aug. 11/6 When I was 13 I knew how much quinine and sugar water you needed to cut heroin and sell it.

1967 Boston Globe 21 May 23/4 Use bleach which has been cut with water and spread on the counter tops.

VI. To shape, fashion, form, or make by cutting.

23.

a. To make or form by cutting (e.g. a statue, engraving, seal, jewel, etc.), to sculpture or carve (a statue or image), to engrave (a plate, seal, etc.), to fashion (a stone or jewel), to shape (garments, utensils, etc.).

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > shape or give shape to [verb (transitive)] > by or as by cutting

hewc900

behewc1314

tailc1400

chisel1517

tailye1581

cut1600

nick1605

pare1708

whittle1848

nibble1987

society > occupation and work > industry > manufacturing processes > perform general or industrial manufacturing processes [verb (transitive)] > types of shaping process

worka1325

strike1485

sink1526

print1530

cut1600

to work out1600

strain1674

scribe1679

stamp1798

slab1868

squirt1881

tablet1891

extrude1913

fabricate1926

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > printmaking > engraving > engrave [verb (transitive)]

cut1600

gravea1631

point1662

engrave1667

sculp1683

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > sculpture or carving > sculpt or carve [verb (transitive)]

behewc1314

entailc1394

chisel1517

to cut out1548

insculp1578

cut1600

sculpturea1684

sculp1784

sculpt1864

under-carve1904

c1500 Ballad on Money in J. O. Halliwell Nugæ Poeticæ (1844) 48 Craftysmen that be in every cyte..Sum cutte, sum shave, sume knoke, sum grave, Only money to wynne.

1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice i. i. 84 Why should a man..Sit like his grandsire, cut in Alablaster?

1623 B. Jonson in W. Shakespeare Comedies, Hist. & Trag. sig. A1^v This Figure, that thou here seest put, It was for gentle Shakespeare cut.

1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 146 Their Boots are well sewed, but ill cut.

1662 J. Evelyn Sculptura iv. 69 We have seen some few things cut in Wood by..Hans Holbein the Dane.

1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 142. ⁋5 His Seals are..exquisitely well cut.

1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 166. ⁋2 He knows perfectly well when a Coat is well cut.

1869 C. Boutell tr. J. P. Lacombe Arms & Armour x. 196 It was escalloped, or cut into some rich open-work pattern.

1887 Westm. Rev. June 340 Pointed piles, evidently cut by a metal instrument.

†b. figurative. To make ready, prepare, plan; = to cut out 12 at Phrasal verbs. Obsolete.

ΘΠ

the mind > will > intention > planning > plan [verb (transitive)]

forethinkc897

bethinka1225

compass1297

contrivec1330

ordain1340

conjectc1380

imaginec1380

cast1382

ordaina1387

advisec1400

forecast1413

imagec1450

ordainc1450

project1477

foreminda1535

invent1539

aimc1540

practise1550

plat1556

trive1573

meditate1582

patterna1586

plot1589

platform1592

design1594

chew1600

forelay1605

to map out1618

to cut out1619

agitate1629

laya1631

plod1631

cut1645

calculate1654

concert1702

to scheme out1716

plan1718

model1725

to rough out1738

to lay out1741

plan1755

prethink1760

shape1823

programme1834

pre-plan1847

encompass1882

target1948

1645 J. Howell Epistolæ Ho-elianæ v. xxxv. 39 The Sweds do notable feats in Germany, and we hope they cutting the..Bavarian so much work to do..will be an advantage.

c. past participle. Formed, fashioned, shaped (as if by cutting).

ΘΠ

the world > space > shape > [adjective] > shaped > by or as by cutting

hewnc1400

tailedc1430

cut?c1510

tailyed1589

?c1510 tr. Newe Landes & People founde by Kynge of Portyngale sig. Dii His wingis kyt like a rasour.

1850 L. Hunt Autobiogr. II. x. 21 His skull was sharply cut and fine.

1883 S. C. Hall Retrospect Long Life II. 218 His features were finely cut [etc.].

d. Sound Recording. To record; to make (a record). Originally U.S.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > sound recording and reproduction > make recording [verb (transitive)]

phonograph1878

gramophone1908

press1918

to put on wax1932

wax1935

cut1937

tape1950

tape-record1950

audiotape1961

to lay down1967

over-record1977

1937 L. Lewis Radio Dict. in Printers' Ink Monthly Apr. 50/3 Cut a disk, to make a recording.

1948 Newsweek 19 July 38/2 Bernard Baruch cut a record of ‘Yankee Doodle’.

1958 M. White in P. Gammond Decca Bk. Jazz xviii. 221 The recording studios, where a number of very fine sides indeed were cut.

1962 Melody Maker 7 July 2 She cut five titles which will be released as part of the sound-track album of her film.

24.

a. To hollow out, excavate (a hole, channel, canal, road, etc.).

ΘΠ

the world > space > shape > unevenness > condition or fact of receding > hollowness > make hollow [verb (transitive)] > form by hollowing out

sink?a1425

to cut out1548

void?1578

cut1634

hollow1648

to work out1774

excavate1839

tunnel1856

1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 87 A streame cut through the Coronian Mountaine.

1665 T. Herbert Some Years Trav. (new ed.) 36 From Suez..where several attempts have been made to cut such a Sluice or Channel as should give Ships a navigable and free passage from the Mediterranean thither.

1682 W. Lithgow Trav. x. 479 Cutting in the middle Circle a devalling Hole.

1772 T. Simpson Compl. Vermin-killer 2 Their holes..made round as if cut with an auger.

1798 in Spirit of Public Jrnls. (1799) 2 43 The canal which is now cutting across the Isthmus of Suez.

1878 A. H. Markham Great Frozen Sea (1880) xxii. 278 The men being employed in cutting a road through the hummocks.

1887 Spectator 28 May 723/2 We do not see how the canals are to be cut.

b. to cut one's way, to cut a passage: to advance by cutting through obstructions.

ΘΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement over, across, through, or past > [verb (intransitive)] > through or over obstacles > by cutting

shearc1275

to shave out one's way1605

to cut one's waya1616

a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) ii. ii. 16 The powres we beare with vs Will cut their passage through the force of France.

1665 T. Herbert Some Years Trav. (new ed.) 34 The Ships cut their way slowly.

1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 600 He cut his way gallantly through them, and came off safe.

25. To perform or execute (an action, gesture, or display of a grotesque, striking, or notable kind): chiefly in certain established phrases, as to cut a caper at caper n.² b, to cut a dash at dash n.¹ 10, to cut a figure at figure n. 7, to cut a joke at joke n. 1, to cut a voluntary at voluntary n. 7. Also, to cut an antic, to cut a curvet, to cut a flourish; to cut faces, to make grimaces, distort the features.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > doing > do [verb (transitive)] > something remarkable or grotesque

cuta1616

the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > face with expression or expression > face with expression [verb (intransitive)] > distort

fleer?a1400

mowc1450

snowrec1450

to make (also pull) a facec1522

to throw one's facea1525

pot1549

mop1567

murgeonc1586

to cut facesa1616

wrimple1657

work1753

grimace1762

mowl1837

wrinkle1843

mug1856

girn1900

a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) i. iii. 116 And. Faith, I can cut a caper. To. And I can cut the Mutton too't.

1665 C. Cotton Scarronnides 6 Wilt thou cut faces evermore For husband dead, as nail in door?1688 T. Shadwell Squire of Alsatia i. i. 3 He shall Cut a Sham or Banter with the best Wit or Poet of 'em all.1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued II. ii. 149 Like the twitchings we sometimes feel in our limbs, or habits men get of cutting faces.1811 W. Irving Life & Lett. (1864) I. xvii. 262 I cut one of my best opera flourishes.1830 Fraser's Mag. 1 457 [They] cut a curvet in the air.1835 W. Irving Tour on Prairies xxii Two of us..saw a fellow..cutting queer antics.

VII. Special senses, elliptical, contextual, or technical.

26. Surgery.

a. To castrate.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > infertility > infertile [verb (transitive)] > castrate or spay > castrate

geldc1225

lib1396

cut1465

castrate1609

delumbate1609

enervate1610

unstone1611

gliba1616

evirate1621

emasculate1623

capon1630

eunuchize1634

eunuchate1646

caponize1654

unpollux1654

eunucha1658

unman1657

dismember1697

saturnized1846

nut1916

knacker1936

1465 in Manners & Househ. Expenses Eng. (1841) 313 Paid for xvij. kokerelles to make capons of..Item, for the kyttynge of them.

1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iii. f. 150^v The Bore pigges they cutte when they were sixe monethes old.

a1643 W. Cartwright Ordinary (1651) i. ii. 4 The great Turk..did command I should be forthwith cut.

1865 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 2nd Ser. 1 ii. 253 The lamb is stronger for being cut late.

b. To make an incision in the bladder for extraction of stone; also absol. to perform lithotomy.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > operations on specific parts or conditions > perform operation on specific part or condition [verb (transitive)] > operations on bladder

cut1566

shear1572

lithotritize1842

lithotomize1851

1566 J. Securis Detection sig. Aiij I will not cut those that haue the stone.

1603 J. Florio tr. M. de Montaigne Ess. ii. xxxvii. 443 A Gentleman in Paris was not long since cut off the stone.

1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια Pref. That they should not cut any man for the Stone.

1782 H. Watson in Med. Communications 1 92 The patients cut in our hospitals.

1809 S. Cooper Dict. Pract. Surg. 457 Mr. Cheselden never resumed his second manner of cutting.

†c. To circumcise. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

cut1638

orchidectomize1942

vasectomize1980

1638 T. Herbert Some Yeares Trav. (rev. ed.) 236 Such an apostat rascall..is cut and marked for a Mahomitan.

27. Of horses: intransitive. To strike or bruise the inside of the fetlock with the shoe or hoof of the opposite foot.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of horses > of horse: have disorder [verb (intransitive)] > cut

cut1660

the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > habits and actions of horse > [verb (intransitive)] > strike one leg against other

interfere1530

overreach1590

cut1660

hitch1686

click1713

brush1868

1660 S. Fisher Rusticus ad Academicos i. 89 See..how he..interferes, and cuts one leg against another, and is not sensible of it.

1675 London Gaz. No. 1028/4 The other a bright bay..trots and gallops only, cuts a little behind.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Cutting, in the Manage, is when the Horse's Feet interfere.

1831 W. Youatt Horse xiii. 253 Some horses will cut when they are fatigued, and many colts will cut before they arrive at their full strength.

28. Nautical (absol.) To cut the cable (in order to get quickly under way). See also to cut and run at sense 41.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > berthing, mooring, or anchoring > berth, moor, or anchor [verb (intransitive)] > anchor > weigh anchor > cut cable to get away quickly

to cut and run1704

cut1707

1707 London Gaz. No. 4378/3 The Enemy had escaped, having..cut and tow'd out.

1743 C. Knowles in Naval Chron. (1799) 1 107 I made the signal to cut.

1780 Ld. Rodney Let. in New Ann. Reg. 42 Ready at a moment's warning to cut or slip in order to pursue or engage the enemy.

29. Cards. (transitive and intransitive) To divide (a pack of cards); spec. to do so at random into two or more parts in order to determine the deal, prevent cheating in dealing, etc. Also, to divide cards as a means of selecting one's partner, and transferred.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > play at cards [verb (intransitive)] > actions or tactics > deal, shuffle, or cut

cutc1555

swig1591

lift1599

misdeal1834

split1866

to slip the cut1879

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > play a card [verb (transitive)] > actions or tactics > deal, shuffle, or cut

cutc1555

deal1560

rob1575

shuffle1589

fuzz1753

pass1859

flitter1864

split1866

ruffle1872

make1876

trey1888

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > play at cards [verb (intransitive)] > actions or tactics > deal, shuffle, or cut > cut to select partner

cut1880

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > play a card [verb (transitive)] > actions or tactics > deal, shuffle, or cut > cut to select partner

cut1880

c1555 Manifest Detection Diceplay sig. Cviii At trump..cutting at y^e neck is a great vantage, so is cutting by a bum card (finely) vnder & ouer.

a1593 C. Marlowe Massacre at Paris (c1600) sig. A6 Thou hast all the Cardes, Within thy hands to shuffle or cut.

1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 425 Shufling and cutting ones selfe a Fortune in this scambling World.

1674 C. Cotton Compl. Gamester xvi. 131 Having shuffled the Cards, the Adversary cuts them.

1750 E. Hoyle Whist (ed. 10) 159 [Rule] xv. You are to cut two Cards at the least.

1793 Sporting Mag. 1 27 The person who cuts the lowest, is entitled to the deal.

1824 Hist. Gambling 58 Dick stated that he could cut any card he chose at any time.

1878 H. H. Gibbs Game of Ombre (ed. 2) 19 His left-hand player then cuts to him, lifting and also leaving at the least three cards.

1880 H. C. Adams College Days at Oxf. 52 They cut for partners.

1937 A. Thirkell Summer Half i. 28 While they cut for partners, while they dealt,..his mind was in a turmoil.

1938 C. L. Morgan Flashing Stream iii. 221 Cut for drinks... (They throw dice on a table.)

1958 H. Phillips Penguin Hoyle 4 Before each rubber those taking part ‘cut’ for partners and choice of seats.

30. Dance. (intransitive) To spring from the ground, and, while in the air, to twiddle the feet one in front of the other alternately with great rapidity.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > dancing > movements or steps > [verb (intransitive)] > steps

cut1603

heel1609

coupee1690

chassé1803

pigeon-wing1823

glissade1837

high-kicka1850

to cover the buckle1852

reverse1859

sashay1905

1603 J. Florio tr. M. de Montaigne Ess. ii. x. 238 Dances, wherein are divers changes, cuttings, turnings, and agitations of the body.

1761 C. Johnstone Chrysal (ed. 2) I. ii. xvii. 225 One of them had shewn greater agility, and cut higher, than any one.

1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 2nd Ser. 109 Out went the boots, first on one side, then on the other, then cutting, then shuffling.

1843 C. Dickens Christmas Carol ii. 62 Fezziwig ‘cut’—cut so deftly, that he appeared to wink with his legs, and came upon his feet again without a stagger.

31. In various games:

a. Cricket. transitive and intransitive. To hit a length ball, a little wide of the off stump, with a bat held quite, or nearly, horizontal, by which the ball is driven to the left side of point. Also, of a cricket ball: to turn sharply after pitching; of a bowler: to make (the ball) turn sharply after pitching.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > bowling > bowl [verb (intransitive)] > motion of ball

to make haste?a1475

twist?1801

cut1816

shoot1816

curl1833

hang1838

work1838

break1847

spin1851

turn1851

bump1856

bite1867

pop1871

swerve1894

to kick up1895

nip1899

swing1900

google1907

move1938

seam1960

to play (hit, etc.) across the line1961

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > batting > bat [verb (transitive)] > hit > hit with specific stroke

take1578

stop1744

nip1752

block1772

drive1773

cut1816

draw1816

tip1816

poke1836

spoon1836

mow1844

to put up1845

smother1845

sky1849

crump1850

to pick up1851

pull1851

skyrocket1851

swipe1851

to put down1860

to get away1868

smite1868

snick1871

lift1874

crack1882

smack1882

off-drive1888

snip1890

leg1892

push1893

hook1896

flick1897

on-drive1897

chop1898

glance1898

straight drive1898

cart1903

edge1904

tonk1910

sweep1920

mishook1934

middle1954

square-drive1954

tickle1963

square-cut1976

slash1977

splice1982

paddle1986

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > batting > bat [verb (intransitive)] > types of stroke

chop1776

mow1844

crump1850

poke1851

cut1857

swipe1857

glance1898

glide1899

cart1903

nibble1926

on-drive1930

slash1955

cover-drive1960

push1963

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > bowling > bowl [verb (transitive)] > bowl in specific manner

twist1816

overthrow1833

to bowl over the wicket1851

overpitch1851

bump1869

york1882

to break a ball1884

flog1884

to bowl round (or formerly outside) the wicket1887

turn1898

flick1902

curl1904

spin1904

volley1909

flight1912

to give (a ball) air1920

tweak1935

move1938

overspin1940

swing1948

bounce1960

cut1960

seam1963

dolly1985

1816 W. Lambert Instr. & Rules Cricket 15 Aided by a turn or motion of the wrist, the Ball may be made to cut or twist, after it has grounded.

1833 J. Nyren Young Cricketer's Tutor 30 Beldham would cut at such a ball with a horizontal bat.]

1833 J. Nyren Young Cricketer's Tutor 65 Peter Steward..could cut the balls very hard at the point of the bat.

1851 J. Pycroft Cricket Field vii. 150 Harry Walker, Robinson, and Saunders were the three great Cutters; and they all cut very late.

1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days ii. viii. 388 Johnson..bowls a ball almost wide to the off; the batter steps out and cuts it beautifully to where cover-point is standing very deep.

1888 R. H. Lyttelton in A. G. Steel & R. H. Lyttelton Cricket (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) ii. 62 We have never seen Shrewsbury..cut in any other way.

1960 I. Peebles Bowler's Turn 67 Geary and Macaulay cut and spun the ball at a sharp pace.

b. Tennis. transitive and intransitive. To strike the ball sharply with the racket held at an angle, or with a downward motion, so as to make it revolve, by which it tends to shoot with a very slight rise on striking the ground.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > lawn tennis > play tennis [verb (intransitive)] > types of stroke

volley1819

cut1875

to kill a ball1883

press1897

undercut1926

dink1939

moonball1982

softball1982

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > lawn tennis > play tennis [verb (transitive)] > strike ball in specific way

cut1875

volley1875

smash1882

lob1889

block1895

overhit1919

softball1927

1875 ‘Stonehenge’ Man. Brit. Rural Sports (ed. 12) iii. i. v. 691/2 The ball after contact with the ground has a tendency to shoot with a very slight rise in comparison with a ball that is not cut.

1875 ‘Stonehenge’ Man. Brit. Rural Sports (ed. 12) iii. i. v. 691/2 If the ball is purely cut, stand well back from it.

c. Croquet. transitive. To drive (a ball) away obliquely by a stroke from another ball. Also intransitive.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > croquet > play croquet [verb (intransitive)] > types of play or stroke

to knock the balls about1864

to take off1872

cut1874

finesse1874

shoot1874

peel1960

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > croquet > play croquet [verb (transitive)] > types of play or stroke

croquet1858

roquet1859

run1863

spoon1865

wire1866

to get the rush (on a ball)1868

rush1868

to peg out1869

cut1874

split1877

peel1914

1874 J. D. Heath Compl. Croquet-player 33 If the ball is to be ‘cut’ to the left, the right side of it must be struck.

1874 J. D. Heath Compl. Croquet-player 33 Considerable practice will be required before the player can cut perfectly.

1966 J. W. Solomon Croquet 95 To cut the rush to one side or the other, was for a long time to me a matter of luck.

32. Painting.

a. transitive. (See quot. 1728.)

ΚΠ

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Cutting, in Painting, the laying one strong lively Colour over another, without any Shade or Softening... The Cutting of Colours has always a disagreeable Effect.

b. intransitive. Of a colour: To show itself obtrusively, stand out strongly.

ΚΠ

a1825 H. Fuseli Lect. viii, in J. Knowles Life & Writings H. Fuseli (1831) II. 340 Those that cut and come forward, first, and those which more or less partake of the surrounding medium in various degrees of distance.

33. colloquial.

a. transitive. To break off acquaintance or connection with (a person); also (as a single act) to affect not to see or know (a person) on meeting or passing him. Often emphasized by dead.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > discourtesy > treat discourteously [verb (transitive)] > treat with lack of affability > refuse to recognize

cut1634

to look through ——1894

1634 Noble Souldier ii. i Why shud a Souldier..Be cut thus by..a Courtier?

1786 G. Colman in European Mag. 9 370 Some bow, some nod, some cut him.

1811 J. Austen Sense & Sensibility III. viii. 180 He had cut me ever since my marriage.

1822 W. Hazlitt Table-talk II. viii. 188 To cut an acquaintance..has hardly yet escaped out of the limits of slang phraseology.

1826 B. Disraeli Vivian Grey I. i. iv. 25 Any fellow voluntarily conversing with an usher, was to be cut dead by the whole school.

1887 F. S. Russell Earl of Peterborough II. vii. 230 He met Bolingbroke..and..cut the ex-Minister dead.

†b. intransitive. To break off acquaintance or connection with. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > lack of social communications or relations [verb (intransitive)] > withdraw from association

separate1595

cut1783

dissociate1866

to draw away1892

1783 C. Burney Jrnl. in F. Burney Early Diary (1889) II. 305 Mr. Poor and the Fits' have cut, which I regret, but poor man nobody likes him.

1808 R. Southey Select. from Lett. (1856) II. 110 For more than a year Scott has cut with the ‘Edinburgh Review’.

1825 New Monthly Mag. 14 180 I've cut dead with Lucy Drummond, so you may be perfectly easy in that affair.

c. transitive. To renounce, give up, absent oneself from, avoid (a thing).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > relinquishing > relinquish or give up [verb (transitive)] > renounce

to claim quitc1314

to quit claimc1314

remisea1325

release1379

remit1379

renouncec1400

to put apart1455

discharge1466

to swear out1598

to quit claim to1664

remiss1701

cut1791

renunciate1848

the world > space > place > absence > be absent from [verb (transitive)] > absent oneself from

discontinuea1475

to keep from ——a1535

refrain1534

dishaunt1608

disfrequent1646

cut1791

skip1824

the world > action or operation > inaction > not doing > abstaining or refraining from action > abstain or refrain from (action) [verb (transitive)] > avoid or shun

overboweOE

bibughOE

fleea1000

forbowa1000

ashun1000

befleec1000

beflyc1175

bischunc1200

withbuwe?c1225

waive1303

eschew1340

refuse1357

astartc1374

sparec1380

shuna1382

void1390

declinea1400

forbeara1400

shurna1400

avoidc1450

umbeschewc1485

shewe1502

evite1503

devoid1509

shrink1513

schew?a1534

devite1549

fly1552

abstract1560

evitate1588

estrange1613

cut1791

shy1802

skulk1835

side-slip1930

to walk away from1936

punt1969

1791 ‘G. Gambado’ Ann. Horsemanship x. 45 I shall cut riding entirely.

1794 Gentleman's Mag. Dec. 1085/1 I was told of men..who..cut chapel, cut gates, cut lectures, cut hall, cut examinations, [etc.].

c1814 in C. Whibley In Cap & Gown (1890) 104 Bid him not set me an imposition For cutting his lectures this morning at eight.

1835 E. Caswall Art of Pluck (Oxford ed. 6) 37 He that cutteth chapel often.

1861 T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. I. vii. 120 I would cut the whole concern to-morrow.

1930 W. S. Maugham Cakes & Ale iv. 49 She was prepared to cut an engagement in London.

d. To cease to support politically. U.S.

ΚΠ

1904 N.Y. Evening Post 6 Sept. 2 Information..that Mr. Bell, the Republican nominee for governor, was being cut by the farmers of Chittenden County because of his policy.

34. To finish. New Zealand slang.

ΚΠ

1945 J. Henderson Gunner Inglorious xvi. 134 Let's cut the lot.

1947 ‘A. P. Gaskell’ Big Game 41 Is the beer all cut?

1952 G. Wilson Julien Ware xxxiv. 241 Here, drink it down. We must cut this bottle tonight.

†35. Irish History. (transitive) To levy (a tax, etc.). Also absol. [ < Irish gearraim sraid: compare French tailler.]

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > impost, due, or tax > tax > taxation > levy (a tax) [verb (transitive)]

taxc1290

araisec1386

levy1388

raise1389

cess1495

fine1570

cut1596

impose1600

1596 E. Spenser View State Ireland 87 Cutting upon every portion of land a reasonable rent.

1610 J. Davies Let. in Hist. Tracts (1787) 280 He..had power to cut upon all the inhabitants, high, or low, as pleased him.

1612 J. Davies Discouerie Causes Ireland 126 I may cut the erick upon the country.

†36. Thieves' cant. To speak, talk, say. (transitive and intransitive.) Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > speech > speak, say, or utter [verb (transitive)]

speakc825

queatheOE

forthdoc900

i-seggenc900

sayeOE

speak971

meleOE

quidOE

spella1000

forthbringc1000

givec1175

warpa1225

mootc1225

i-schirea1250

upbringa1250

outsay?c1250

spilec1275

talec1275

wisea1300

crackc1315

nevena1325

cast1330

rehearsec1330

roundc1330

spend1362

carpa1375

sermona1382

to speak outc1384

usea1387

minc1390

pronouncea1393

lancec1400

mellc1400

nurnc1400

slingc1400

tellc1400

wordc1400

yelpc1400

worka1425

utterc1444

outspeakc1449

yielda1450

arecchec1460

roose?a1475

cutc1525

to come forth with1532

bubble1536

prolate1542

report1548

prolocute1570

bespeak1579

wield1581

upbraid1587

up with (also mid) ——1594

name1595

upbrayc1600

discoursea1616

tonguea1616

to bring out1665

voice1665

emit1753

lip1789

to out with1802

pitch1811

go1836

to open one's head1843

vocabulize1861

shoot1915

verbal1920

be1982

the mind > language > speech > conversation > converse [verb (intransitive)]

yedc888

speak971

rounda1200

talka1225

tevela1225

intercommunec1374

fable1382

parlec1400

reason?c1425

communique?1473

devise1477

cutc1525

wade1527

enterparle1536

discourse1550

to hold one chat, with chat, in chat1573

parley1576

purpose1590

dialogue1595

commerce1596

dialoguize1596

communicate1598

propose1600

dialogize1601

converse1615

tella1616

interlocute1621

interparle1791

conversate1811

colloquize1823

conversationize1826

colloque1850

visit1862

colloquy1868

to make conversation1921

c1525 Bk. Mayd Emlyn sig. A.ii Than wolde she mete With her lemman swete And cutte with hym.

1567 T. Harman Caueat for Commen Cursetors (new ed.) Peddelars Frenche sig. Giii^v To cutte bene whydds, to speake or geue good words... To cutte, to saye.

1725 in New Canting Dict. To Cut, to Speak.

1815 W. Scott Guy Mannering II. 101 Meg..has some queer ways, and often cuts queer words.

†37. intransitive ? To shape one's discourse, trim, try not to commit oneself. Obsolete.

1672–3 A. Marvell Rehearsal Transpros'd I. 114 He cuts indeed and faulters in this discourse, which is no good sign.

1710 E. Ward Vulgus Britannicus: 2nd Pt. 74 Some Crafty Zealots cut and wheadl'd, And lying vow'd they never meddl'd.

VIII. Phrases.

38. to cut a feather:

†a. To make fine distinctions, ‘split hairs’. Obsolete.

ΘΠ

the mind > mental capacity > understanding > reason, faculty of reasoning > misleading argument, sophistry > excessive subtlety, hair-splitting > pursue subtleties [verb (intransitive)]

windc1386

subtlec1390

subtilea1450

subtilize1592

to cut a feathera1634

to split a hair or hairs1674

to split straws1674

to split words1674

Thomisticate1730

subtlize1821

a1634 W. Austin Devotionis Augustinianæ Flamma (1635) 169 Nor seeke..with nice distinctions, to cut a Feather [with the Schoolemen].

1684 T. Goddard Plato's Demon 317 Men who..have not the skill to cut a feather.

b. Nautical. Of a ship: To make the water foam before her.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > action or motion of vessel > [verb (intransitive)] > make progress > move swiftly

crowd937

runOE

boom1617

to cut a feather1627

with a bone in her mouth (also teeth)1627

snore1830

spank1835

ramp1856

to step out1884

foot1892

1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. ii. 10 If the Bow be too broad, she will seldome..cut a feather, that is, to make a fome before her.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. To cut a Feather, when a ship has so sharp a bow that she makes the spray feather in cleaving it.

39. to cut a tooth, to cut one's teeth: to have them appear through the gums; also figurative to become knowing, attain to discretion. See also to cut one's eyeteeth at eyetooth n. Phrases 2.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > digestive or excretive organs > digestive organs > mouth > tooth or teeth > [phrase] > have one's teeth appear through gums

to cut one's teeth1677

the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > be or become wise [verb (intransitive)]

sape1694

to cut one's wisdom teeth1848

to cut one's teeth1861

1677 Lady Hatton in E. M. Thompson Corr. Family of Hatton (1878) I. 148 Poor little Susana is very ill about her teeth. I hope in God they will not be long before they be cut.

1694 W. Congreve Double-dealer ii. i. 21 Like any Child, that was cutting his Teeth.

1732 J. Arbuthnot Ess. Nature Aliments (ed. 2) 408 When the Teeth is ready to cut.

1861 C. Reade Cloister & Hearth II. xiii. 261 He and I were born the same year, but he cut his teeth long before me.

1869 Princess Alice Mem. (1884) 220 Baby..is now cutting his fifth tooth, which is all but through.

40. to cut and carve: see carve v. 11. to cut and contrive: to practise economy so as to keep one's expenses within one's means. to cut and dry: to render cut and dried: see cut adj.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > management of money > expenditure > moderation or reduction in expenditure > spend money sparingly [verb (intransitive)] > live within one's means

to cut one's cloth according to one's calling1546

to hold or bring (bare) buckle and thong together1600

to cut and contrive1854

to make buckle and tongue meet1859

1854 C. Dickens Hard Times i. ii. 7 A mighty man at cutting and drying.

1876 ‘G. Eliot’ Daniel Deronda I. i. iii. 53 I am obliged to cut and contrive.

1883 H. Drummond Nat. Law in Spiritual World (ed. 8) 360 You cannot cut and dry truth.

1888 J. Payn Myst. Mirbridge xiv Cutting and contriving to make both ends meet.

41. to cut and run (Nautical): see quot. 1794; (slang or colloquial) to make off promptly, hurry off. Also as attributive.phr.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > berthing, mooring, or anchoring > berth, moor, or anchor [verb (intransitive)] > anchor > weigh anchor > cut cable to get away quickly

to cut and run1704

cut1707

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going away > go away [verb (intransitive)] > go away suddenly or hastily

fleec825

runOE

swervea1225

biwevec1275

skip1338

streekc1380

warpa1400

yerna1400

smoltc1400

stepc1460

to flee (one's) touch?1515

skirr1548

rubc1550

to make awaya1566

lope1575

scuddle1577

scoura1592

to take the start1600

to walk off1604

to break awaya1616

to make off1652

to fly off1667

scuttle1681

whew1684

scamper1687

whistle off1689

brush1699

to buy a brush1699

to take (its, etc.) wing1704

decamp1751

to take (a) French leave1751

morris1765

to rush off1794

to hop the twig1797

to run along1803

scoot1805

to take off1815

speela1818

to cut (also make, take) one's lucky1821

to make (take) tracks (for)1824

absquatulize1829

mosey1829

absquatulate1830

put1834

streak1834

vamoose1834

to put out1835

cut1836

stump it1841

scratch1843

scarper1846

to vamoose the ranch1847

hook1851

shoo1851

slide1859

to cut and run1861

get1861

skedaddle1862

bolt1864

cheese it1866

to do a bunkc1870

to wake snakes1872

bunk1877

nit1882

to pull one's freight1884

fooster1892

to get the (also to) hell out (of)1892

smoke1893

mooch1899

to fly the coop1901

skyhoot1901

shemozzle1902

to light a shuck1905

to beat it1906

pooter1907

to take a run-out powder1909

blow1912

to buzz off1914

to hop it1914

skate1915

beetle1919

scram1928

amscray1931

boogie1940

skidoo1949

bug1950

do a flit1952

to do a scarper1958

to hit, split or take the breeze1959

to do a runner1980

to be (also get, go) ghost1986

1704 Boston News-let. 12 June 2/2 Cap. Vaughn rode by said Ship, but cut & run.

1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship II. 248* To Cut and run, to cut the cable and make sail instantly, without waiting to weigh anchor.

1821 Ld. Byron Let. to J. Murray 7 Feb. Greek and Turkish craft..were obliged to ‘cut and run’ before the wind.

1861 C. Dickens Great Expectations I. v. 69 I'd give a shilling if they had cut and run.

1909 Daily Chron. 23 Oct. 9/1 If it is the cut-and-run mood that has conquered she goes home.

1945 Hutchinson's Pict. Hist. War 27 Sept. 1944–13 Mar. 1945 54 We anticipated a cut-and-run operation by a force consisting of two or three battleships and a couple of carriers.

42. to cut loose:

a. transitive. To loosen or set free by cutting that which fastens or confines.

b. intransitive. To sever oneself, free oneself, escape.

ΘΠ

the world > action or operation > safety > escape > [verb (intransitive)] > from confinement

atburstc1000

outbreakOE

strayc1330

aventc1375

twinc1386

out-wina1425

to break away1535

disengage1647

to break bounds1816

to cut loose1828

1828 W. Scott Tales of Grandfather 1st Ser. III. i. 23 Dacre's quarters were attacked, and his horses all cut loose.

1852 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin I. vii. 79 In leaving the only home she had ever known, and cutting loose from the protection of a friend whom she loved and revered.

1889 A. E. Barr Feet of Clay xv. 301 I will cut loose from every entanglement.

c. To begin to act freely; to start off; to commence an attack; to let oneself go. U.S.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > attack > attack [verb (intransitive)] > commence an attack

enterprisec1570

to go in1810

to cut loose1900

society > authority > lack of subjection > freedom or liberty > liberation > set free [verb (intransitive)] > escape from restraint > throw off restraint

to throw off1551

to break forth1608

to take a loose1703

to let rip1857

to kick over the traces1861

to cut loose1900

the world > action or operation > undertaking > beginning action or activity > begin action or activity [verb (intransitive)]

beginc1000

onginOE

aginOE

ginc1175

to go tillc1175

to take onc1175

comsea1225

fanga1225

to go toc1275

i-ginc1275

commencec1320

to get (also get down, go, go adown, set, set down) to workc1400

to lay to one's hand(sc1405

to put to one's hand (also hands)c1410

to set toc1425

standa1450

to make to1563

to fall to it1570

to start out1574

to fall to1577

to run upon ——1581

to break off1591

start1607

to set in1608

to set to one's hands1611

to put toa1616

to fall ona1625

in1633

to fall aboard1642

auspicatea1670

to set out1693

to enter (into) the fray1698

open1708

to start in1737

inchoate1767

to set off1774

go1780

start1785

to on with1843

to kick off1857

to start in on1859

to steam up1860

to push off1909

to cut loose1923

to get (also put) the show on the road1941

to get one's arse in gear1948

1900 G. Ade More Fables (1902) 182 She would approach the Piano timidly and sort of Trifle with it for a while, and say they would have to make Allowances, and then she would Cut Loose and worry the whole Block.

1901 S. E. White Westerners xviii. 157 You just ought to see him when he cuts loose.

1910 W. M. Raine Bucky O'Connor 244 It was York shot Reilly, after Cork had cut loose at him.

1918 E. M. Roberts Flying Fighter 66 My lorry had been seen, however. As I was taking it round a corner the Huns cut loose and caused me to go down that road as fast as the motor would take me.

1923 R. D. Paine Comrades Rolling Ocean xi. 196 He just now cut loose with ‘Goodness gracious..I should call this the deuce of a mess’.

1941 H. L. Mencken Newspaper Days (1942) xi. 184 When he got down his first dozen mugs..he cut loose with an exultant yodel.

d. †to cut scores: to settle accounts (with): see score n. Obsolete.

43. to cut short: (transitive)

a. to shorten by cutting off a part or parts; to abridge, curtail. literal and figurative. (Sometimes to cut shorter.)

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > reduce in quantity, amount, or degree [verb (transitive)] > curtail

wanea889

dockc1380

bridgec1384

abridgea1393

limita1398

syncopec1412

defalk1475

shortena1535

to cut short?1542

royn1573

retrench1587

curtail1589

retranch1589

lop1594

scantle1596

scant1599

scantelize1611

curtalize1622

defalce1651

detrench1655

barb1657

defalcatea1690

razee1815

detruncate1846

to cut down1857

shave1898

society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > non-fiction > summary or epitome > summarize or abridge [verb (transitive)]

abrevya1325

comprehendc1369

abridgec1384

shorta1390

suma1398

abbreviate?a1475

shorten1530

to cut short?1542

curtail1553

to knit up1553

to wind up1583

clip1598

epitomize1599

brief1601

contract1604

to shut up1622

decurt1631

to sum up1642

breviate1663

curtilate1665

compendize1693

epitomate1702

to gather up1782

summarize1808

scissor1829

précis1856

to cut down1857

to boil down1880

synopsize1882

essence1888

résumé1888

short copy1891

bovrilize1900

pot1927

summate1951

capsulize1958

profile1970

?1542 H. Brinkelow Complaynt Roderyck Mors xi. sig. C5 Cut shorter your processe.

1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward IV f. ccii He was taken &..cut shorter by the hedde.

1611 Bible (King James) 2 Kings x. 32 In those dayes the Lord began to cut Israel short [margin, Hebr. to cut off the ends] .

1664 H. More Apol. 507 I must..cut my skirts as short as I can, that they sit not upon them.

1781 F. Burney Jrnl. Aug. in Early Jrnls. & Lett. (2003) IV. 451 That Gentleman..cut the matter very short, & would not talk upon it at all.

1868 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (1876) II. viii. 293 William cuts the whole story very short.

1871 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues I. 143 I will ask you to cut your answers shorter.

b. To curtail, abridge, or restrict (any one) in his privileges, means, etc.

ΘΠ

the mind > possession > loss > taking away > take away [verb (transitive)] > deprive (of) > partially

straiten1523

to curtail (a person, etc.) of1581

to cut short1592

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > disappointment > disappoint, frustrate [verb (transitive)] > of something expected

failc1386

dismiss1490

mock1541

to cut short1755

1592 A. Day 2nd Pt. Eng. Secretorie sig. E4^v, in Eng. Secretorie (rev. ed.) Your Lordship..cutte me yet thirty pound shorter.

1653 I. Walton Compl. Angler 156 Because I cut you short in that, I will commute for it, by telling you that that was told me for a secret.

1672 H. More Brief Reply 302 You..unjustly take upon you to cut us short of Salvation.

1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. To cut short, to abridge: as, the soldiers were cut short of their pay.

1799 Ld. Nelson in Dispatches & Lett. (1846) VII. p. cxciii I am cut short enough by having no other emolument.

Thesaurus »

c. To bring to a sudden end, break off, put a stop to abruptly.

d. To interrupt abruptly; to stop, ‘pull up’ (a speaker).

1611 Bible (King James) Rom. ix. 28 He will finish the worke, and cut it short in righteousnesse.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 (1623) iii. i. 81 The welfare of vs all, Hangs on the cutting short that fraudfull man.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis x, in tr. Virgil Wks. 523 More he wou'd have said, But the stern Heroe turn'd aside his Head, And cut him short.

1713 G. Berkeley Three Dialogues Hylas & Philonous i. 58 It would, probably, have cut short your Discourse.

1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 232 But the Admiral..cut him short. ‘I do not wish to hear anything on that subject.’

1873 W. Black Princess of Thule xiv. 222 Her speculations..were cut short by the entrance of her husband.

e. intransitive. To stop short, be brief.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > conciseness > be concise or brief [verb (intransitive)]

to be at a (also one) wordOE

to make short1556

to be brief1588

abbreviate1596

to cut short1691

to cut (also make) a long story short1732

to make short of long1883

1691 A. Gavin Observ. Journy to Naples 184 I was oblig'd to cut short, and tell her [etc.].

1726 J. M. tr. A. de La V. d'Orville de Vignacourt Tragical Hist. Chevalier de Vaudray 116 To cut short..we broke up.

44. to cut one's stick (slang): to take one's departure, be off, go. Also to cut one's lucky (see lucky n.²).

ΚΠ

1825 Blackwood's Mag. 18 42/1 He..has cut his stick mayhap until we sail.

1841 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop ii. xl. 17 I'm afraid I must cut my stick.

1844 W. H. Maxwell Wanderings in Highlands & Islands I. iii. 85 I am glad you ‘cut your lucky’.

45. to cut the coat according to the cloth: to adapt oneself to circumstances, keep within the limits of one's means (see cloth n. 10). So also †to cut one's cloth according to one's calling.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > management of money > expenditure > moderation or reduction in expenditure > spend money sparingly [verb (intransitive)] > live within one's means

to cut one's cloth according to one's calling1546

to hold or bring (bare) buckle and thong together1600

to cut and contrive1854

to make buckle and tongue meet1859

1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue i. viii. sig. C I shall Cut my cote after my cloth.

1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. lxxviii. 241 To teach them how they should cut their coates.

a1640 J. Fletcher et al. Beggers Bush iv. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Ll4/2 Keepe your selfe right, and even, cut your cloth Sir, According to your calling.

1867 Homeward Mail 16 Nov. 953/2 Times are changed, and..we must, to use the homely metaphor, ‘cut our coat according to our cloth’.

†46. to cut sail, one's sail: see quot. 1692. ? Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > use of sails, spars, or rigging > support (an amount of) sail [verb (intransitive)] > spread (more) sail > unfurl sail

to cut sail, one's sail1582

1582 N. Lichefield tr. F. L. de Castanheda 1st Bk. Hist. Discouerie E. Indias 71 a The whole Fleete, hauing wayed, did then begin to cut and spread their sayles with a great pleasure.

1589 J. Sparke in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations iii. 523 At which departing, in cutting the foresaile, a marueilous misfortune happened to one of the officers.

1692 Smith's Sea-mans Gram. (new ed.) i. xvi. 76 Cut the Sail, that is unfurl it, and let it fall down.

1721 in N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict.

47. to cut the throat of: see throat n. Phrases 3a.

48. to cut it (too) fat: see 8b.

49. to cut to pieces: see 7c.

Categories »

50. to cut the comb of: to lower the pride of: see comb n. to cut the gold (Archery): see gold n.¹ to cut the grass under, to cut the ground from under, a person's feet: see grass n.¹, ground n. to cut the hair: see hair n. to cut the knot: see knot n.¹ 10a. to cut the round: see round n.¹ to cut the volt: see volte n., etc. to cut didoes: see dido n.² to cut dirt: see dirt n. 6d. to cut eyes, to cut (no) ice, to cut the painter: see painter n.² 2. to cut a splurge: see splurge n. 1a to cut a swath: see swath n.¹ 3c. to cut to waste: see waste n. 10d. Also to cut one's loss(es) at loss n.¹ 4c, price-cut vb. at price n. Compounds 2.

IX. Phraseological expressions and combinations containing the verb-stem.

51. cut-and-come-again n. and phr.

a. The act or faculty of cutting (from a joint of meat, etc.) and of returning to help oneself as often as one likes; hence, unfailing supply, abundance; also figurative or attributive.

ΘΠ

the mind > possession > supply > [noun] > source of supply > inexhaustible

cut-and-come-again1738

1738 J. Swift Compl. Coll. Genteel Conversat. 121 I vow, 'tis a noble Sirloyn... Ay; here's cut, and come again.

1826 in W. Hone Every-day Bk. (1827) II. 54 A ham..is a cut-and-come-again dish, ready at hand.

1841 W. M. Thackeray Great Hoggarty Diamond iv Always happy to see a friend in our plain way,—pale sherry, old port, and cut and come again.

1861 G. A. Sala Dutch Pict. xv. 241 You cut your steak off hot from the living animal, on the cut and come again principle.

b. A variety of kale.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > fruit and vegetables > vegetables > cabbage or kale > [noun] > cabbage > other types of cabbage

brisoka1340

rape-cole1597

loaf-cabbage1727

sugar-loaf1766

drumhead1783

sugar-loaf cabbage1786

Yorkshire cabbage1786

York1823

Tom Thumb1847

cut-and-come-again1888

the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular vegetables > [noun] > cabbage or kale > cabbage > types of > other types of cabbage

red coleOE

brisoka1340

red colewort?a1500

rape-cole1597

red cabbage1597

loaf-cabbage1727

sugar-loaf1766

drumhead1783

sugar-loaf cabbage1786

Yorkshire cabbage1786

York1823

palm-kale1853

Scotch curlies1855

thousand-head kale1887

cut-and-come-again1888

1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. Cut and come again, a very prolific variety of kale or winter greens; much grown in cottage gardens.

1959 Listener 21 May 911/1 Here is a delicious way to cook cut-and-come-again (or cottage kale).

52. cut-and-cover n.

a. Agriculture. A method of ploughing in which the furrow-slice is turned over on an unploughed strip (see sense 9d above). U.S.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > breaking up land > ploughing > [noun] > furrow > methods of turning furrow

henting?a1605

veering1733

ribbling1770

casting1825

cut-and-cover1839

back-striking1844

gathering1846

1839 J. Buel Farmer's Compan. xiii. 113 The cut-and-cover practice is still worse as it leaves..two thirds of the soil, undisturbed by the plough.

1877 4th Rep. Vermont State Board Agric. 1876–7 93 The old Dutch wooden plow..[was] used among the stumps and roots of the newish lands, with the plowman's ideal of cut and cover.

b. Engineering. A method of constructing a tunnel by making a cutting in which the brickwork lining is built and then covered in: employed with advantage when the depth below the surface is comparatively small.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [noun] > making tunnels > specific method

cut-and-cover1892

1892 Daily News 2 Nov. 2/8 Certain portions of this work..could be much better and more cheaply executed by the method of cut-and-cover.

1892 Daily News 22 Nov. 3/1 Excavating what is technically called the ‘cut and cover’ portion of the work—the portion of the tunnel, that is to say..cut out, arched over, and covered in again.

53. cut-and-fill n. the process or result of removing material from a place and depositing it near by (see quots.); also as a verb.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [noun] > other specific processes

shovellingc1440

brooking1610

resoiling1839

riprapping1839

misering1842

back-filling1901

cut-and-fill1904

bulldozing1937

society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [verb (intransitive)] > other specific processes

to pick upc1400

forestop1747

cut-and-fill1904

bulldoze1944

pick1997

1904 T. C. Chamberlin & R. D. Salisbury Geol. (1905) I. iii. 183 This is cut-and-fill. The sediment eroded from the curve which is concave toward the stream is shifted down-stream, while that deposited in the curve which is convex toward the stream is brought down from above.

1934 Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. Cut and fill, to construct, as a stadium, by using material excavated from the center to form walls.

1940 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 218/1 Cut-and-fill, a term used to describe any cross-section of highway or railroad earthworks which is partly in cutting and partly in embankment.

1965 G. J. Williams Econ. Geol. N.Z. vii. 80/1 The existence of current-bedding, imbricate arrangement of pebbles, cut-and-fill bedding, and scour channels.

54. cut and thrust: see cut n.² 2c.

Phrasal verbs

In combination with adverbs. to cut about

1. transitive. To damage or disfigure by random cutting and chipping of the surface. Chiefly passive.

1874 G. W. Dasent Half a Life II. 119 The most precious monuments of the Abbey..how cut about and mutilated they are!

2. intransitive. To run or dart about: see 19b.

to cut adrift

see sense 14.

to cut asunder

see sense 7.

to cut away

1. transitive. To cut so as to take or clear away, to remove by cutting.

ΘΠ

the world > space > place > removal or displacement > remove or displace [verb (transitive)] > remove or take away > remove or displace by scratching, scraping, stripping, or cutting

bestrip1065

file?c1225

to cut awayc1320

raze1419

screeve?1440

rakec1475

to scrape out, forth1530

scrata1560

scrabble1657

scamble1707

peel1787

c1320 Seuyn. Sag. (W.) 604 And his bowes awai i-kett.

c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 111 Cuttyyn' a-way, abscindo, amputo.

?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 4229 Some bad þe bolnyng cutt away.

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 399/2 Used to draw up the Cataract off the sight of the eye while it is cuting away.

1886 W. Besant Children of Gibeon 107 I will cut away the dead leaves.

†2. figurative. To take away, remove forcibly; to stop the supply of, cut off. Obsolete.

c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) 2 Cor. xi. 12 I kitte awey the occasioun of hem.

c1450 tr. Thomas à Kempis De Imitatione Christi i. xx He þat wolde kutte awey al maner of veyne besines.

1562 N. Winȝet Certain Tractates (1888) I. 10 All errour and abuse being cuttit away.

1707 J. Freind Acct. Earl of Peterborow's Conduct in Spain 251 Yesterday they cut away the Water of a Mill in this Town.

3. intransitive. To go on cutting continuously or without cessation: see away adv. 6.

to cut back

1. transitive. To prune by cutting off the shoots close back to the main stem or stock.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > [verb (transitive)] > trees: prune or lop

sneda800

shredc1000

crop?c1225

purgec1384

parea1398

shear1398

shridea1425

dodc1440

polla1449

twist1483

top1509

stow1513

lop1519

bough?1523

head?1523

poll-shred1530

prune1547

prime1565

twig1570

reform1574

disbranch1575

shroud1577

snathe1609

detruncate1623

amputate1638

abnodate1656

duba1661

to strip up1664

reprune1666

pollard1670

shrub1682

log1699

switch1811

limb1835

preen1847

to cut back1871

shrig1873

brash1950

summer prune1980

1871 S. Hibberd Amateur's Flower Garden 210 Early in March cut back all the shoots.

2. To plough the second time, across or at right angles to the first furrow; = cross-plough v.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > breaking up land > ploughing > plough (land) [verb (transitive)] > cross-plough

cross-ploughc1644

overthwart1667

thwart1847

to cut back1858

cross1859

1858 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 19 i. 65 The ordinary method..was for the farmer in the autumn to plough down the field..in the spring he had it cut back.

3. Bread-making. (See quot.)

ΚΠ

1907 J. Kirkland Mod. Baker I. 99 When it has been lying altogether ten hours, it [sc. dough] should be cut in pieces and turned from one end of the trough to the other, and well kneaded. The kneading operation should be repeated in another hour's time; but dough need not be cut back, only well kneaded, and four sides folded up. Machine-made dough ought not to require cutting back at all.

4. Cinematography. To return to a previous scene by repeating a portion of that scene. (See cutback n. 2.) Also transitive.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > filming > special effect > special effects [verb (intransitive)] > cut

to cut back1913

jump cut1953

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > filming > special effect > special effects [verb (transitive)] > cut

cut1913

to cut back1913

1913 E. W. Sargent Technique Photoplay (ed. 2) 91 The same device may be used to get rid of a dinner scene... We cut-back to some other action.

1916 Technique Photoplay (ed. 3) 194 It is well to remember..that not all plays may be cut back.

1959 J. Halas & R. Manvell Technique Film Animation 337 Cut back so many frames..and these frames are shot again.

5. transitive. To reduce or decrease (expenditure, etc.). Also intransitive.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > reduce in quantity, amount, or degree [verb (transitive)]

littleeOE

anitherOE

wanzelOE

lessc1225

slakea1300

littenc1300

aslakec1314

adminisha1325

allayc1330

settle1338

low1340

minisha1382

reprovea1382

abatea1398

rebatea1398

subtlea1398

alaskia1400

forlyten?a1400

imminish14..

lessenc1410

diminish1417

repress?a1425

assuagec1430

scarcec1440

small1440

underslakec1440

alessa1450

debate?c1450

batec1460

decreasec1470

appetisse1474

alow1494

mince1499

perswage?1504

remita1513

inless?1521

attenuate1530

weaken1530

defray1532

mitigate1532

minorate1534

narrow?1548

diminuec1550

extenuate1555

amain1578

exolve1578

base1581

dejecta1586

amoinder1588

faint1598

qualify1604

contract1605

to pull down1607

shrivel1609

to take down1610

disaugment1611

impoverish1611

shrink1628

decoct1629

persway1631

unflame1635

straiten1645

depress1647

reduce1649

detract1654

minuate1657

alloy1661

lower?1662

sinka1684

retreat1690

nip1785

to drive down1840

minify1866

to knock down1867

to damp down1869

scale1887

mute1891

clip1938

to roll back1942

to cut back1943

downscale1945

downrate1958

slim1963

downshift1972

the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > reduce in quantity, amount, or degree [verb (transitive)] > curtail > of something superfluous

prune1565

to cut back1943

trim1966

society > trade and finance > management of money > expenditure > moderation or reduction in expenditure > spend money sparingly [verb (transitive)] > reduce expenditure

retrench1626

to cut down1857

to cut back1943

trim1966

1943 Sat. Evening Post 6 Nov. 112 If the Army cuts back a program, it will not need the steel for some other program.

1953 Manch. Guardian Weekly 7 May 3 Western Europe was cutting back its defence programme.

1958 Engineering 4 Apr. 433/1 Industry is continuing to cut back markedly on capital spending plans.

1965 Listener 2 Sept. 334/1 Germany, another country whose aid budget had been built up impressively by the early nineteen-sixties, has recently cut it back.

1971 Daily Tel. 14 Jan. 2/7 A spokesman for ICI said that recruitment of Ph.D. students had been cut back.

6. intransitive. In Surfing, to turn one's surf-board back towards the breaking part of a wave.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > water sports except racing > surfing > surf-ride [verb (intransitive)] > actions of surfer

pearl-dive1923

slide1931

hot-dog1959

to hang five, ten1962

to kick out1962

to cut back1963

to pull out1963

to pull off1964

nose-ride1965

rollercoaster1969

shred1977

rail1986

to pull in1987

1963 Surfing Yearbk. 41/1 Cutting back, when a rider is getting too far ahead of the curl, and has to change his direction to get in a better position relative to the wave.

1969 Observer 3 Aug. 35/1 He can ‘cutback’, turning the board back toward the breaking wave.

to cut down

1. transitive. To cut so as to bring or throw down; cause to fall by cutting; to fell.

ΘΠ

the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > lack of height > make low(er) [verb (transitive)] > by cutting (down)

to cut down1382

sink1526

razee1815

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > causing to come or go down > cause to come or go down [verb (transitive)] > bring to the ground/lay low > cut down

hewc1000

to cut down1382

1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) Matt. iii. 10 Euery tree..shal be kitt [a1425 L.V. kit] doun.

a1400–50 Alexander 2850 To cutte down..Bowis of buskis and of braunches.

1534 Bible (Tyndale rev. Joye) Matt. xxi. 8 Other cut doune braunches from the trees.

1611 Bible (King James) Deut. vii. 5 Ye shall destroy their altars..and cut downe their groues.

1784 Gentleman's Mag. 54 ii. 643 A hill contiguous is cutting down.

1884 J. Hatton H. Irving's Impress. Amer. II. v. 86 A ship laden with corn was cut down and sunk by floating ice.

1952 Oxf. Junior Encycl. VI. 174/1 As the old trees are cut down, seedlings spring up naturally to replace them.

2. To let fall or take down (the body of one who has been hanged) by cutting the rope.

ΘΠ

society > authority > punishment > capital punishment > hanging > hang [verb (transitive)] > take down body or undo hanging

to cut downa1549

ungibbet1747

unhang1829

a1549 A. Borde Fyrst Bk. Introd. Knowl. (1870) xxxii. 203 Whosoeuer that is hanged by-yonde see, shall neuer be cutte nor pulled downe.

1583 J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (ed. 4) II. 2152/2 He being hanged till he was halfe dead, was cut downe and stripped.

1883 S. R. Gardiner Hist. Eng. 1603–42 I. vii. 282 The King having given orders that he should not be cut down until he was dead.

3. To lay low or kill with the sword or the like.

ΘΠ

the world > life > death > killing > killing by specific method > kill [verb (transitive)] > by stabbing or cutting

snithec725

ofstingeOE

stickOE

to sting to death13..

to put (do) to the sword1338

throata1382

to strike dead, to (the) deathc1390

hewc1400

stab1530

to stab (a person) in1530

poniard1593

stiletto1613

jugulate1623

kris1625

dagger1694

pike1787

to cut down1821

sword1863

1821 Ld. Byron Sardanapalus ii. i. 52 Soldiers, hew down the rebel!.. Cut him down.

1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People iii. §7. 154 The Welsh..were cut ruthlessly down in the cornfields.

†4. figurative. To put a stop to. Obsolete. rare.

ΚΠ

?1577 J. Northbrooke Spiritus est Vicarius Christi: Treat. Dicing 142 That the magistrates and rulers may..cut downe this wicked vice, that it may be no more vsed.

5. To take the lead of decisively in a race or run; to surpass, get the better of.

ΘΠ

the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > outdoing or surpassing > outdo or surpass [verb (transitive)]

overstyeOE

overshinec1175

overgoc1225

passc1225

surmountc1369

forpassc1374

overmatcha1375

overpassa1382

to pass overa1393

overcomec1400

outpass?a1425

exceedc1425

precedec1425

superexcelc1429

transcendc1430

precel?a1439

outcut1447

overgrowc1475

to come over ——a1479

excel1493

overleapa1500

vanquish1533

outweigh1534

prevent1540

better1548

preferc1550

outgo1553

surpassa1555

exsuperate1559

cote1566

overtop1567

outrun1575

outstrip1579

outsail1580

overruna1586

pre-excel1587

outbid1589

outbrave1589

out-cote1589

top1590

outmatch1593

outvie1594

superate1595

surbravec1600

oversile1608

over-height1611

overstride1614

outdoa1616

outlustrea1616

outpeera1616

outstrikea1616

outrival1622

antecede1624

out-top1624

antecell1625

out-pitch1627

over-merit1629

outblazea1634

surmatch1636

overdoa1640

overact1643

outact1644

worst1646

overspana1657

outsoar1674

outdazzle1691

to cut down1713

ding1724

to cut out1738

cap1821

by-pass1848

overtower1850

pretergress1851

outray1876

outreach1879

cut1884

outperform1937

outrate1955

one-up1963

the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > mastery or superiority > have or gain mastery or superiority over [verb (transitive)]

overcomeeOE

forecomec1000

overwieldlOE

masterc1225

overmaistrie1340

overmatcha1375

overpassa1382

surmount1390

to have the fairer (of)c1400

maistriec1400

overmasterc1425

winc1440

overc1485

bestride1526

rixlec1540

overreach1555

control1567

overmate1567

govern1593

to give (a person) the lurch1598

get1600

to gain cope of1614

top1633

to fetch overa1640

down1641

to have the whip hand (of)1680

carberry1692

to cut down1713

to be more than a match for1762

outflank1773

outmaster1799

outgeneral1831

weather1834

best1839

fore-reach1845

to beat a person at his (also her, etc.) own game1849

scoop1850

euchrec1866

bemaster1871

negotiate1888

to do down1900

to get (someone) wetc1926

lick1946

1713 J. Addison Trial of Ct. Tariff So great is his Natural Eloquence, that he cuts down the finest Orater, and destroys the best-contriv'd Argument.

a1864 R. S. Surtees Mr. Facey Romford's Hounds (1911) 156 (Illustration) Captain Spurrier ‘cut down’ by Romford.

6. Nautical. (See quot. 1769.)

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > shipbuilding and repairing > build a ship [verb (transitive)] > modify

settlea1625

to cut down1769

razee1818

convert1862

jumboize1956

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Transl. French Terms at Raser un vaisseau To cut down a ship, or take off part of her upper-works..in order to lighten her, when she becomes weak.

1805 Naval Chron. 13 174 The..Indiaman..had been cut down.

7. To reduce, abridge, retrench, curtail, esp. a speech, expenses, wages. Also intransitive, frequently with on.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > reduce in quantity, amount, or degree [verb (transitive)] > curtail

wanea889

dockc1380

bridgec1384

abridgea1393

limita1398

syncopec1412

defalk1475

shortena1535

to cut short?1542

royn1573

retrench1587

curtail1589

retranch1589

lop1594

scantle1596

scant1599

scantelize1611

curtalize1622

defalce1651

detrench1655

barb1657

defalcatea1690

razee1815

detruncate1846

to cut down1857

shave1898

the mind > possession > retaining > sparingness or frugality > use sparingly or frugally [verb (transitive)] > economize in

economize1785

to cut down1857

society > trade and finance > management of money > expenditure > moderation or reduction in expenditure > spend money sparingly [verb (transitive)] > reduce expenditure

retrench1626

to cut down1857

to cut back1943

trim1966

society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > non-fiction > summary or epitome > summarize or abridge [verb (transitive)]

abrevya1325

comprehendc1369

abridgec1384

shorta1390

suma1398

abbreviate?a1475

shorten1530

to cut short?1542

curtail1553

to knit up1553

to wind up1583

clip1598

epitomize1599

brief1601

contract1604

to shut up1622

decurt1631

to sum up1642

breviate1663

curtilate1665

compendize1693

epitomate1702

to gather up1782

summarize1808

scissor1829

précis1856

to cut down1857

to boil down1880

synopsize1882

essence1888

résumé1888

short copy1891

bovrilize1900

pot1927

summate1951

capsulize1958

profile1970

1857 C. J. Lever Fortunes of Glencore viii A system of..cutting down every one's demand to the measure of their own pockets.

1885 Dunckley in Manch. Weekly Times 6 June 5/5 Only one London newspaper attempts to give the speeches in full, the rest cut them down unmercifully.

1886 S. Baring-Gould Court Royal I. ix. 144 Expenses ought to be cut down in every way.

1939 H. W. Horwill Anglo-Amer. Interpreter 54 I am cutting down on my meat.

1945 E. Bowen Demon Lover 90 I got my hundred [cigarettes] this morning... I can't seem to cut down, somehow. Mary, have you cut down?

1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio xii. 220 Methods of cutting down on the labour have been suggested.

8. to cut down to size: to reduce to suitable dimensions; figurative to reduce to a true or proper level of importance.

ΘΠ

the world > space > extension in space > reduction in size or extent > reduce in size or extent [verb (transitive)] > to suitable dimensions

to cut down to size1821

to cut (chop, etc.) down to size1972

the mind > emotion > humility > humiliation > humiliate [verb (transitive)]

anitherOE

fellOE

lowc1175

to lay lowc1225

to set adownc1275

snuba1340

meekc1350

depose1377

aneantizea1382

to bring lowa1387

declinea1400

meekenc1400

to pull downc1425

avalec1430

to-gradea1440

to put downc1440

humble1484

alow1494

deject?1521

depress1526

plucka1529

to cut (rarely to cast down) the comb of?1533

to bring down1535

to bring basec1540

adbass1548

diminish1560

afflict1561

to take down1562

to throw down1567

debase1569

embase1571

diminute1575

to put (also thrust) a person's nose out of jointc1576

exinanite1577

to take (a person) a peg lower1589

to take (a person) down a peg (or two)1589

disbasea1592

to take (a person) down a buttonhole (or two)1592

comb-cut1593

unpuff1598

atterr1605

dismount1608

annihilate1610

crest-fall1611

demit1611

pulla1616

avilea1617

to put a scorn on, upon1633

mortify1639

dimit1658

to put a person's pipe out1720

to let down1747

to set down1753

humiliate1757

to draw (a person's) eyeteeth1789

start1821

squabash1822

to wipe a person's eye1823

to crop the feathers of1827

embarrass1839

to knock (also take, etc.) (a person) off his or her perch1864

to sit upon ——1864

squelch1864

to cut out of all feather1865

to sit on ——1868

to turn down1870

to score off1882

to do (a person) in the eye1891

puncture1908

to put (a person) in (also into) his, her place1908

to cut down to size1927

flatten1932

to slap (a person) down1938

punk1963

1821 M. Wilmot Let. 20 Mar. (1935) 100 We..cut down silk stockings to Cat's size.

1904 G. B. Shaw Lett. to Granville Barker 6 Dec. (1956) 45 The theme is a huge one; and it cant be cut down to Court size.

1927 E. Hemingway Men without Women (1928) 33 He wheeled his horse..towards..the far side of the ring where the bull would come out... ‘Pic him, Manos,’ he said. ‘Cut him down to size for me.’

1959 Listener 2 July 12/2 We are in danger of forgetting our place, of getting ideas above our station. It is good to have Mr. Graves to cut us down to size.

1959 Guardian 17 Sept. 18/1 Production and distribution of films has been cut down to size and other interests have been greatly extended.

1969 J. Drummond People in Glass House xxxvi. 140 You've had thirty good years, perhaps it's time you were cut down to size.

to cut in

1. transitive. To carve or engrave in intaglio.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > printmaking > engraving > intaglio printing > engrave in intaglio [verb (transitive)]

entaila1552

intaglio1847

to cut in1883

1883 Act 36 & 37 Vict. c. 85 §3 Her official number..shall be cut in on her mainbeam.

2. Whaling. To cut up (a whale) so as to remove the blubber.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > industry > whaling and seal-hunting > whaling > cutting up whale or seal > cut up whale or seal [verb (transitive)] > cut up whale or seal

flench1814

to cut in1839

scarf1851

spade1887

1839 T. Beale Nat. Hist. Sperm Whale 185 As soon as possible after the whale has been killed, it is brought alongside the ship to be cut in, by means of instruments which are called ‘spades’.

1840 F. D. Bennett Narr. Whaling Voy. II. 208 The next proceeding of the whaler is to ‘cut in’, or remove the blubber.

1840 F. D. Bennett Narr. Whaling Voy. II. 210 From three to five hours are required to ‘cut in’ an ordinary school whale.

3. intransitive. To penetrate or enter sharply or abruptly; esp. so as to make a way for oneself or occupy a position between others. In later use also, to drive a motor-vehicle between two others which are passing each other in opposite directions; more recently, to drive a motor vehicle, cycle, etc., past another and move sharply in front of the overtaken vehicle. Also transferred.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming in > go or come in [verb (intransitive)] > abruptly

chop1535

to cut in1612

society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > drive a vehicle [verb (intransitive)] > drive horse-drawn vehicle > in specific manner

to cut in1820

tittup1852

spank1860

society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > drive a vehicle [verb (intransitive)] > drive or operate a motor vehicle > cut between vehicles

to cut in1925

society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > drive a vehicle [verb (intransitive)] > drive or operate a motor vehicle > cut in front of a vehicle

to cut in1954

1612 M. Drayton Poly-olbion i. 3 Neptune cutting in, a cantle forth doth take.

1630 tr. G. Botero Relations Famous Kingdomes World (rev. ed.) 117 A huge arme of the Sea, which cutting in betweene the Land by the West, watreth Cornwall on the right hand, and Wales on the left.

1799 J. Stuart in Marquess Wellesley Select. Despatches (1877) 114 The enemy having cut in between them and Seedasere.

1820 H. Luttrell in Kaleidoscope 25 July 29/2 Amid the din Of drunken coachmen cutting in.

1856 G. J. Whyte-Melville Kate Coventry iii After much ‘cutting in’, and shaving of wheels and lashing of horses.

1925 Don'ts for Motorists 100 How to avoid accidents... Don't ‘cut in’.

1926 Weekly Disp. 5 Sept. 1/1 He is supposed to have been reported for cutting in at the second and eleventh tees.

1931 Highway Code 10 Your reluctance to stop dead may tempt you to ‘cut in’ by threading your way between other vehicles. This is a frequent source of accidents.

1954 Highway Code 8 Never cut in, that is, do not pull in sharply in front of a moving vehicle which you have just overtaken.

1955 R. Bannister First Four Minutes 21 I was unguarded against the man outside me who was cutting in.

4. To interpose or interrupt abruptly in conversation or the like; to strike in. So cut into for cut in to. spec. To have one's name added to a lady's dancing programme; also (originally U.S.), to supersede a partner during a dance.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > speech > conversation > converse [verb (intransitive)] > interpose in a conversation

to cut in1830

chime in1838

to chip in1869

to tune in1912

society > leisure > dancing > ball or dance > take part in ball [verb (intransitive)] > add name to dance programme

to cut in1830

society > leisure > dancing > ball or dance > take part in ball [verb (intransitive)] > interrupt and supersede partner

to cut in1919

1830 J. Galt Lawrie Todd II. v. viii. 187 When Mr. Van Haarlem had finished his compliments, then Mr. Breugle cut in.

1857 G. A. Lawrence Guy Livingstone vi. 47 Keeping all her after-supper waltzes for him religiously, though half the men in town were trying to cut in.

1859 F. W. Farrar Julian Home vi. 73 ‘I say, Home,’ cut in Kennedy hastily, ‘shall I go?’

1890 R. F. D. Palgrave O. Cromwell xiii. 288 The Royalists had only to wait, ready to cut in when the Levellers had done the work.

c1890 R. Kipling Phantom 'Rickshaw (ed. 3) 74 It will save you cutting into my talk.

1896 G. Ade Artie x. 91 He did n't want no one else to cut in.

1904 W. H. Smith Promoters xxv. 348 That telephone is ‘cut in’ and I have a number of friends..who are listening through it.

1919 Ladies' Home Jrnl. Sept. 169 All the men want to cut in when she dances.

1920 F. S. Fitzgerald This Side of Paradise i. ii. 74 The dance began... Boys cut in on Isabelle every few feet.

1921 R. D. Paine Comrades Rolling Ocean viii. 135 Excuse me, but may I cut in? Miss Crozier wants to see you right away.

1922 Encycl. Brit. XXXII. 1027/2 Two-way radio-telephony enabling two communicators..to ‘cut in’ or interrupt each other.

5. Cards. To join in a game (of whist) by taking the place of a player cutting out (to cut out 16 at Phrasal verbs).

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > whist > play whist [verb (intransitive)] > actions or tactics

finesse1742

to cut in1760

to cut out1771

to save one's pomp1788

to have the call1863

peter1887

cross-ruff1958

1760 C. Johnstone Chrysal II. i. ii. 10 When the rubber was finished, my mistress was asked to cut in.

1763 Brit. Mag. 4 542 Instead of cutting in to a party of whist, they play the rubbers by rotation.

?1870 F. Hardy & J. R. Ware Mod. Hoyle 6 Players cutting in take the chairs of players cutting out.

6. To receive a share (of profits, booty, etc.); also transitive (originally U.S.), to give (a person) a share; frequently with on. slang.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > sharing > share [verb (intransitive)]

scot?c1225

deal1297

partc1300

to take partc1384

departc1440

skair1462

impart1471

participate1531

communicate1541

to part stakes (also shares)1553

boot1554

partake1561

intercommune1601

copart1637

to go sharers1644

to run shares1644

intervene1646

go1653

to go a share1655

to share and share alike (formerly also like)1656

to go shares1658

to go share and share alikea1661

to go snips (or snip)1671

to go snacks (or snack)1693

to club one's shares1814

to cut in1890

the mind > possession > giving > distributing or dealing out > distribute or deal out [verb (transitive)] > divide into shares > give a person a share

participate1531

to cut in1924

1890 R. D. Blackmore Kit & Kitty III. xiv. 192 The brothers..smiled a sour smile, as much as to say,—‘You don't cut in for any of it.’

1924 R. Lardner How to write Short Stories (1926) 335 They'll cut you in on the big money.

1930 I. Goldberg Tin Pan Alley 210 For plugging certain numbers these leaders collect—‘cut in’—on payments and royalties.

1950 G. Greene Third Man xiv. 122 Were you going to cut me in on the spoils?

7. transitive. To connect (an electric circuit, etc.). Also intransitive of a motor.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > circuit > connect [verb (transitive)]

switch1881

to loop in1893

to cut in1910

to switch in1957

1910 [see to cut out 18 at Phrasal verbs].

8. transitive. To insert (a scene) into a film sequence. Also transferred.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > editing > edit [verb (transitive)]

re-edit1785

cut1913

edit1913

to cut in1928

cheat1929

cross-cut1933

intercut1953

1928 Film Weekly 29 Oct. 17/3 These shots I cut in with other and varied material.

1934 C. Lambert Music Ho! iv. 262 A picture of the mother crying was ‘cut in’ with a picture of a dripping kitchen tap.

1947 D. Lean in O. Blakeston Working for Films 29 Now where would you cut in the close-up of the banana-skin?

1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio ii. 43 Special [sound] effects are cut in as required.

1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio vii. 128 We may wish to edit music..to cut in a retake.

to cut off

1. transitive. To cut so as to take off; to detach by cutting (something material).to cut off a corner: see corner n.¹ 2b.

ΘΠ

the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separate [verb (transitive)] > separate from > separate or cut off

to cut offc1380

discidea1513

warn1536

rescind1598

desect1613

the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > detach [verb (transitive)] > cut off

becarveOE

carvec1000

hewc1000

shredc1275

cuta1300

chapc1325

cleavec1330

off-shearc1330

withscore1340

to cut offc1380

colea1400

slivea1400

to score awayc1400

abscisea1500

discidea1513

sharea1529

off-trenchc1530

off-hewc1540

pare1549

detrench1553

slice?1560

detrunk1566

sneck1578

resect1579

shred1580

curtail1594

off-chop1594

lop?1602

disbranch1608

abscind1610

snip1611

circumcise1613

desecate1623

discerpa1628

amputate1638

absciss1639

prescind1640

notch1820

c1380 J. Wyclif Sel. Wks. I. 401 Ȝif þi hond or þi foot sclaundir þee, kitte it of, and caste it fro þee.

1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. NNNiiii^v Though thou cutte of my heed.

1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 119 To haue their noses and eares cut off.

1699 J. Evelyn Kalendarium Hortense (ed. 9) 34 Cutting off the dead Wood.

1864 Ld. Tennyson Enoch Arden in Enoch Arden, etc. 49 This hair is his: she cut it off and gave it.

2. To remove, take away, sever, strike off (something immaterial).

1581 J. Bell tr. W. Haddon & J. Foxe Against Jerome Osorius 98 b When as I doe cut of so much of myne owne right unto you.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) iii. i. 102 Why he that cuts off twenty yeares of life, Cuts off so many yeares of fearing death.

1697 J. Dryden Ded. Æneis in tr. Virgil Wks. 236 No Vowel can be cut off before another, when we cannot sink the Pronunciation of it.

1792 T. Coke & H. Moore Life John Wesley (ed. 2) i. 4 Determined..at a single blow to cut off from the established Church every Minister of honesty and conscience.

3. To bring to an end suddenly or abruptly; to put a stop to; to break off, cut short. to cut off an entail: see entail n.² 1.

ΘΠ

the world > action or operation > ceasing > cease from (an action or operation) [verb (transitive)] > cause to cease or put a stop to > suddenly or abruptly (an action or person)

break1330

to break offc1340

to take up1530

to cut off1576

stunt1603

to cut up short1607

to cut short1611

pawl1797

to sew up1837

to stop short1837

burst1842

to pull up1861

1576 A. Fleming tr. Cicero in Panoplie Epist. 17 I had rather cut off all old acquaintance with him.

1611 Bible (King James) Lament. iii. 53 They haue cut off my life in the dungeon.

1635 A. Stafford Femall Glory 62 Obedience calls upon me to cut off..this digression.

a1645 W. Browne tr. M. Le Roy Hist. Polexander (1647) iii. ii. 73 Zabaim, cutting him off, bade him answer succinctly.

1865 C. E. L. Riddell World in Church xxvii. 303 You wish to cut off the entail.

1878 R. B. Smith Carthage 285 [These things] cut off all hopes of a reconciliation.

4. To put to death (suddenly or prematurely), to bring to an untimely end.

ΘΠ

the world > life > death > killing > kill [verb (transitive)]

swevec725

quelmeOE

slayc893

quelleOE

of-falleOE

ofslayeOE

aquellc950

ayeteeOE

spillc950

beliveOE

to bring (also do) of (one's) life-dayOE

fordoa1000

forfarea1000

asweveOE

drepeOE

forleseOE

martyrOE

to do (also i-do, draw) of lifeOE

bringc1175

off-quellc1175

quenchc1175

forswelta1225

adeadc1225

to bring of daysc1225

to do to deathc1225

to draw (a person) to deathc1225

murder?c1225

aslayc1275

forferec1275

to lay to ground, to earth (Sc. at eird)c1275

martyrc1300

strangle1303

destroya1325

misdoa1325

killc1330

tailc1330

to take the life of (also fro)c1330

enda1340

to kill to (into, unto) death1362

brittena1375

deadc1374

to ding to deathc1380

mortifya1382

perisha1387

to dight to death1393

colea1400

fella1400

kill out (away, down, up)a1400

to slay up or downa1400

swelta1400

voida1400

deliverc1400

starvec1425

jugylc1440

morta1450

to bring to, on, or upon (one's) bierc1480

to put offc1485

to-slaya1500

to make away with1502

to put (a person or thing) to silencec1503

rida1513

to put downa1525

to hang out of the way1528

dispatch?1529

strikea1535

occidea1538

to firk to death, (out) of lifec1540

to fling to deathc1540

extinct1548

to make out of the way1551

to fet offa1556

to cut offc1565

to make away?1566

occise1575

spoil1578

senda1586

to put away1588

exanimate1593

unmortalize1593

speed1594

unlive1594

execute1597

dislive1598

extinguish1598

to lay along1599

to make hence1605

conclude1606

kill off1607

disanimate1609

feeze1609

to smite, stab in, under the fifth rib1611

to kill dead1615

transporta1616

spatch1616

to take off1619

mactate1623

to make meat of1632

to turn up1642

inanimate1647

pop1649

enecate1657

cadaverate1658

expedite1678

to make dog's meat of1679

to make mincemeat of1709

sluice1749

finisha1753

royna1770

still1778

do1780

deaden1807

deathifyc1810

to lay out1829

cool1833

to use up1833

puckeroo1840

to rub out1840

cadaverize1841

to put under the sod1847

suicide1852

outkill1860

to fix1875

to put under1879

corpse1884

stiffen1888

tip1891

to do away with1899

to take out1900

stretch1902

red-light1906

huff1919

to knock rotten1919

skittle1919

liquidate1924

clip1927

to set over1931

creasea1935

ice1941

lose1942

to put to sleep1942

zap1942

to take down1967

wax1968

trash1973

ace1975

c1565 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1728) 16 If the Earl of Douglas..had been cutted off suddenly.

1611 Bible (King James) 1 Sam. xx. 15 When the Lord hath cut off the enemies of Dauid.

1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 483. ¶2 Why such an one was cut off in the Flower of his Youth.

1888 J. W. Burgon Lives Twelve Good Men II. x. 239 His father was cut off at the age of twenty-five.

†5. To shorten, cut short. Obsolete. rare.

ΚΠ

1607 T. Dekker & J. Webster West-ward Hoe v. sig. I2 The story of vs both, shall bee as good, as an olde wiues tale, to cut off our way to London.

6. To intercept, stop the passage or supply of.

ΘΠ

the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > hindering completely or preventing > hinder completely or prevent [verb (transitive)] > by interception

fore-rideOE

blind1303

to cut off1569

forestall1570

intercept1662

interdict1984

1569 T. Stocker tr. Diodorus Siculus Hist. Successors Alexander i. iv. 9 Leosthenes seeing that he could not by force winne the towne, straightwaies cut of their victuals.

1780 W. Coxe Acct. Russ. Discov. 198 The Chinese.. found means to cut off several straggling parties of Russians.

1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India II. v. v. 495 [They] cut off several vehicles of baggage.

1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 1st Ser. I. 92 At last the company's man came to cut off the water.

1875 C. M. Yonge Cameos cxxiv, in Monthly Packet May 491 War..would cut off their wool from the Flemish looms.

7. To interrupt, stop (communication, passage, etc.); to render impossible by interposing an insurmountable obstacle.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > absence of movement > render immobile [verb (transitive)] > stop the movement of > cause to be arrested or intercepted in progress

warna1250

foreclosec1290

dit1362

stayc1440

stopc1440

set1525

suppress1547

bar1578

frontier1589

stay1591

intercepta1599

to cut off1600

interpose1615

lodgea1616

obstruct1621

stifle1629

sufflaminate1656

stick1824

to hold up1887

society > armed hostility > military operations > manoeuvre > [verb (transitive)] > cut off

glean1611

to cut off1823

1600 B. Jonson Every Man out of his Humor ii. i. sig. F^v S'light, our presence has cut off the convoy of the jest.

1653 H. Cogan tr. F. M. Pinto Voy. & Adventures vii. 19 He cut off his way, and stopt him from passing further.

1776 N. Woodhull in J. Sparks Corr. Amer. Revol. (1853) I. 260 Cutting off the communication between the army in town and country.

1823 J. D. Hunter Mem. Captivity 52 We attempted to cut off their retreat.

1845 C. J. Lever O'Donoghue (1862) 352 I have sent a strong party..to cut off their advance.

8. To exclude from access, intercourse, view, etc.; to shut out; to debar. spec. To deprive of communication by telephone or telegraph; to disconnect (a telephone).

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > hindering completely or preventing > hinder completely or prevent [verb (transitive)]

forbidc1000

forrunc1275

forbar1303

before-comec1384

withstanda1400

withholdc1400

prevenec1485

supprime1490

interrupt1497

resist?a1513

prevent1522

discourage1528

prohibit1531

stop1534

forleta1555

bar1559

to bar by and main1567

disbar1567

to cut off1576

embar1577

forestall1579

obvent1588

cancel1594

waylay1625

suppress1651

antevene1655

arceate1657

exarceate1657

interpel1722

stump1858

estop1876

plug1887

pre-empt1957

deter1961

society > communication > telecommunication > telegraphy or telephony > telephony > communicate with by telephone [verb (transitive)] > break off connection with

disconnect1877

to hang up on1928

to cut off1932

1576 A. Fleming tr. C. Longolius in Panoplie Epist. 405 You might alledge..some other impediment which cut you off from keeping company.

1709 G. Berkeley Ess. New Theory of Vision §77. 86 The Wall interposing, cuts off all that Prospect of Sea and Land.

1857 W. Collins Dead Secret I. iii. i. 136 The first cottage..which was cut off from other houses by a wall all round it.

1859 J. M. Jephson & L. Reeve Narr. Walking Tour Brittany vi. 76 Declaring a man a leper, and cutting him off from social intercourse.

1891 E. S. Ellis Check No. 2134 v. 38 The company can't afford to be cut off this way.

1926 J. Black You can't Win vi. 68 She might git worked up about your troubles and ask a lot of dam' fool questions. Cut her off.

1932 D. Whipple Greenbanks viii. 91 The telephone had its merits after all; Ambrose could be cut off.

1940 W. H. Auden Another Time 91 Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone.

9. to cut off with a shilling: to disinherit by bequeathing a shilling (the bequest being a proof that the disinheritance was designed).

ΘΚΠ

society > law > legal right > right of possession or ownership > right to succeed to title, position, or estate > succession > cause to descend by succession [verb (transitive)] > disinherit

disheritc1290

disheritc1330

disheriss1489

disinherita1500

exheredate1552

to strike off with a shilling1597

disheir1607

disherison1654

to cut off with a shilling1834

to cut out1891

1710 J. Addison Tatler No. 216. ⁋15 My eldest Son John..I do disinherit and wholly cut off from any Part of this my Personal Estate, by giving him a single Cockle Shell.]

1834 T. Hood Tylney Hall (1840) 268 Vowing..to cut him off with a shilling.

1861 ‘G. Eliot’ Silas Marner iii. 46 I might get you turned out of house and home, and cut off with a shilling.

to cut out

1. transitive. To cut so as to take out; to excise, extract, or extirpate by cutting (something material). Frequently figurative in recent colloquial use: to stop doing or using (something); to leave off, do without, omit, drop: esp. in imperative phrase cut it out.

ΘΠ

the world > space > place > removal or displacement > extraction > extract [verb (transitive)] > by cutting

to cut outc1400

slice?1560

exsect1641

exscind1662

excide1739

snip1801

scissor1832

excise1835

outcut1860

the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > quality of being exclusive > exclude [verb (transitive)] > omit or leave out

letc900

overleapOE

forletc1200

beleavec1275

overpassa1382

to cut outc1400

overskipc1400

omisec1425

omit1439

to leave outc1450

obmise1490

neglect1511

skip1531

obmit?1541

enterlesse1548

intermit1570

prevade1641

waive1651

suppress1826

the world > action or operation > ceasing > cease activity [verb (intransitive)] > leave off! or stop it!

to do waya1325

stay1601

go and eat coke1669

to leave off1785

whoa1838

drop it!1843

cut1859

turn it up1867

to come off ——1896

to chuck it1901

knock it off!1902

cut it out1903

nix1903

break it down1941

to shove it1941

leave it out!1969

c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (Roxb.) xix. 88 With þat knyf he cuttez out a pece of his flesch.

1480 Table Prouffytable Lernynge (Caxton) (1964) 39 He can cutte out the stone.

1662 J. Evelyn Sculptura i. 9 With the Burine one cuts the peice [sic] all at once out of the plate.

1707 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. 31 Oct. He found the Leaves..cut out.

1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 23. ¶4 The Pope..ordered his Tongue to be cut out.

1840 R. Liston Elem. Surg. (ed. 2) i. 215 The affected parts..should be cut out.

1903 G. Ade People you Know 82 Cut it out!

1905 ‘H. McHugh’ You can search Me i. 27 I've been speculating again after faithfully promising her to cut out all the guessing contests. So cut out the yesterday gag.

a1910 ‘O. Henry’ Sixes & Sevens (1916) xviii. 209 To be frank with you, Whatsup, I've cut out the dope.

1914 G. Atherton Perch of Devil i. 137 If it were more the primal instinct..so much the worse, the more reason to ‘cut it out’.

1923 R. D. Paine Comrades Rolling Ocean vi. 110 Will you cut out the booze while you are ashore in Jamaica?

1924 W. M. Raine Troubled Waters viii. 85 We'd better cut out threats. They lead to trouble.

1928 F. N. Hart Bellamy Trial iii. 96 I thought she'd make him cut it out.

1933 W. H. Auden Poems (ed. 2) 52 Its no use raising a shout. No, Honey, you can cut that right out.

1937 R. Stout Red Box iv. 54 Llewellyn..was expostulating: ‘Now, Dad, cut it out,—now listen a minute.’

1939 D. L. Sayers In Teeth of Evidence 202 ‘The great man himself. London's rising dramatist.’.. ‘Cut it out,’ said Scales.

1970 M. Guybon tr. A. Solzhenitsyn First Circle xlix. 366 ‘Cut it out!’ said Pryanchikov, struggling violently. ‘I'm sick of prosecutors and trials.’

2. To remove, excise, omit (a portion of a literary work, etc.).

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > non-fiction > summary or epitome > summarize or abridge [verb (transitive)] > abridge by excision > excise

excise1663

to cut out1736

society > law > legal right > right of possession or ownership > right to succeed to title, position, or estate > succession > cause to descend by succession [verb (transitive)] > disinherit

disheritc1290

disheritc1330

disheriss1489

disinherita1500

exheredate1552

to strike off with a shilling1597

disheir1607

disherison1654

to cut off with a shilling1834

to cut out1891

1736 H. Fielding Pasquin i. 2 I wish you could cut the Ghost out, Sir.

1781 R. B. Sheridan Critic ii. ii Sir, the performers have cut it out.

1886 G. Salmon Hist. Introd. N.T. xviii. 380 The parts which it is proposed to cut out are indissolubly connected with those which are left behind.

1891 F. W. Maude Merciful Divorce 117 Before I cut you out of my will.

3. To surprise and carry off (a ship) from a harbour, etc., by getting between her and the shore.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > operations or manoeuvres > perform operation or manoeuvre [verb (transitive)] > get between a ship and shore

to cut out1748

1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson ii. iii. 141 How impossible it would prove, either to board or to cut out any vessel protected by a force posted on shore within pistol-shot.

1781 F. Burney Lett. Jan. After..cutting a few ships out of Torbay.

1882 R. L. Stevenson Familiar Stud. Men & Bks. 162 He could not swoop into a parlour and, in the naval phrase, ‘cut out’ a human being from that dreary port.

4. U.S., Australia and New Zealand. To detach or separate (an animal) from the herd.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > animal keeping practices general > herding, pasturing, or confining > [verb (transitive)] > cut out

ride1790

shed1791

shoot1824

to run off1861

to cut out1862

cut1903

1862 E. R. Chudleigh Diary 13 Feb. (1950) i. 28 On the run all day cutting out bullocks we succeeded in yarding about 60.

1867 J. T. Thomson Rambles with Philosopher xxvi. 149 We scampered away to the pasture grounds of his cattle, in order to cut out one of the mob for slaughter.

1869 Overland Monthly Aug. 126/2 Another rides in, selects a stray brand, and ‘cuts it out’, by chasing it out with his horse.

1885 Pall Mall Gaz. 20 Mar. 3/2 The two best hands will go in and ‘cut out’ the cattle that bear the brand of their employers.

1887 Scribner's Mag. 2 508 Cut out, to separate an animal from the herd.

†5. To exclude, debar (from); = to cut off at Phrasal verbs. Obsolete.

1726 Bp. J. Butler 15 Serm. iv. 69 They in a Manner cut themselves out from all Advantage of Conversation.

6. To get in front of a rival so as to intervene between him and success, or take the first place from him; to out-do, supplant in preference.A driver or rider who ‘cuts in’, cuts out some one else.

ΘΠ

the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > outdoing or surpassing > outdo or surpass [verb (transitive)]

overstyeOE

overshinec1175

overgoc1225

passc1225

surmountc1369

forpassc1374

overmatcha1375

overpassa1382

to pass overa1393

overcomec1400

outpass?a1425

exceedc1425

precedec1425

superexcelc1429

transcendc1430

precel?a1439

outcut1447

overgrowc1475

to come over ——a1479

excel1493

overleapa1500

vanquish1533

outweigh1534

prevent1540

better1548

preferc1550

outgo1553

surpassa1555

exsuperate1559

cote1566

overtop1567

outrun1575

outstrip1579

outsail1580

overruna1586

pre-excel1587

outbid1589

outbrave1589

out-cote1589

top1590

outmatch1593

outvie1594

superate1595

surbravec1600

oversile1608

over-height1611

overstride1614

outdoa1616

outlustrea1616

outpeera1616

outstrikea1616

outrival1622

antecede1624

out-top1624

antecell1625

out-pitch1627

over-merit1629

outblazea1634

surmatch1636

overdoa1640

overact1643

outact1644

worst1646

overspana1657

outsoar1674

outdazzle1691

to cut down1713

ding1724

to cut out1738

cap1821

by-pass1848

overtower1850

pretergress1851

outray1876

outreach1879

cut1884

outperform1937

outrate1955

one-up1963

the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > mastery or superiority > have or gain mastery or superiority over [verb (transitive)] > get ahead of

to get of ——1548

to get (also have) the start of1569

to get (also gain) a march (up)on1707

to cut out1738

1738 in T. Birch Hist. Acct. Life Milton in J. Milton Compl. Wks. I. 48 This man [sc. Milton] cuts us all out, and the Antients too.

1845 Ld. Houghton Let. in T. W. Reid Life Ld. Houghton (1890) I. viii. 355 The King of the French has lent all the Crown jewels to the duchess, so she will quite cut our Queen out.

1848 W. M. Thackeray Bk. Snobs (1881) 220 He cut out all the other suitors of the duchess.

7. To deprive, do out of.

ΘΠ

the mind > possession > loss > taking away > take away [verb (transitive)] > deprive (of)

benimc890

to do of ——eOE

bedealc1000

disturbc1230

bereavec1275

reave?a1300

acquitc1300

benemec1300

deprivec1330

privea1382

subvertc1384

oppressc1395

abridgea1400

to bate of, from1399

lessa1400

nakena1400

dischargea1425

privatec1425

to bring outa1450

abatec1450

sever?1507

spulyie?1507

denude1513

disable1529

distrain1530

destituec1540

destitutec1540

defalk1541

to turn out of ——1545

discomfit1548

wipe1549

nude1551

disannul?a1556

bereft1557

diminish1559

benoom1563

joint1573

uncase1583

rid1585

disarm1590

visitc1592

ease1600

dispatch1604

unfurnisha1616

rig1629

retrench1640

unbecomea1641

disentail1641

cashier1690

twin1722

mulct1748

fordo1764

to do out of ——1796

to cut out1815

bate1823

deprivate1832

devoid1878

1815 W. Scott Guy Mannering I. ii. 20 The apprizer..cut the family out of another monstrous cantle of their remaining property.

1860 A. L. Windsor Ethica iii. 136 Cutting him out of his annual butt of sack.

†8. To divide for distribution. Obsolete.

1633 D. Rogers Treat. Two Sacraments Gospell i. 142 By vertue of Christ cut out and divided to thee.

9. To excavate, carve out; to form by excavation or carving.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > sculpture or carving > sculpt or carve [verb (transitive)]

behewc1314

entailc1394

chisel1517

to cut out1548

insculp1578

cut1600

sculpturea1684

sculp1784

sculpt1864

under-carve1904

the world > space > shape > unevenness > condition or fact of receding > hollowness > make hollow [verb (transitive)] > form by hollowing out

sink?a1425

to cut out1548

void?1578

cut1634

hollow1648

to work out1774

excavate1839

tunnel1856

1548 Petit. of Sandwich in Boys Sandwich (1792) 735 To authorize the said mayor..and inhabitants..to cut out, newe erect and make one newe cutt into their said haven.

a1648 Ld. Herbert Life (1976) 47 The wholle Forrest..was cutt out into Long walks euery way.

1659 D. Pell Πελαγος 159 To what end the Lord did cut out all those Harbours, Creeks, Chanels.

1726 G. Shelvocke Voy. round World iv. 160 [They] saw the word Magee..and Capt. John cut out under it upon a tree.

10. To fashion or shape by cutting (out of a piece).

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > tailor or make clothes [verb (transitive)] > cut out

shape?c1225

to cut out1551

the world > space > shape > shape or give shape to [verb (transitive)] > by or as by cutting > out of a piece

to cut out1551

1551 T. Wilson Rule of Reason sig. Lj Although one haue..cloth, yet can he not haue the vse of it, excepte the tailer cutte it out.

1696 J. F. Merchant's Ware-house 38 How to cut out a Shift out of two Ells of Holland.

1891 E. Peacock Narcissa Brendon II. 108 She..could cut out men's shirts.

1891 E. Peacock Narcissa Brendon II. 110 She could cut out much better than the ladies themselves.

11. figurative. To form, fashion, shape, to carve out.

1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II ii. iii. 143 To..Be his owne caruer, and cut out his way, To finde out right wyth wrong.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) iv. iv. 380 By th'patterne of mine owne thoughts, I cut out The puritie of his.

1801 M. Edgeworth Forester in Moral Tales I. 233 You..expect every..man to be just cut out upon the pattern of..Henry.

1842 S. Lover Handy Andy xix. 174 I thought it was manners to cut out my behaviour on your pattern.

12. figurative. To plan; to prepare (work to be done). to have (all) one's work cut out: see work n. Phrases 2a.

ΘΠ

the mind > will > intention > planning > plan [verb (transitive)]

forethinkc897

bethinka1225

compass1297

contrivec1330

ordain1340

conjectc1380

imaginec1380

cast1382

ordaina1387

advisec1400

forecast1413

imagec1450

ordainc1450

project1477

foreminda1535

invent1539

aimc1540

practise1550

plat1556

trive1573

meditate1582

patterna1586

plot1589

platform1592

design1594

chew1600

forelay1605

to map out1618

to cut out1619

agitate1629

laya1631

plod1631

cut1645

calculate1654

concert1702

to scheme out1716

plan1718

model1725

to rough out1738

to lay out1741

plan1755

prethink1760

shape1823

programme1834

pre-plan1847

encompass1882

target1948

the world > action or operation > doing > activity or occupation > be occupied or busy (in or at something) [verb (intransitive)] > be fully occupied

to have one's hands fulla1470

to have (all) one's work cut out1866

1619 in S. R. Gardiner Lett. Relations Eng. & Germany (1868) 2nd Ser. 68 How they may by..ill affected subjects cutt us out newe worke in Ireland and Scotland.

1754 A. Murphy Gray's Inn Jrnl. No. 98. ⁋5 The excessive Officiousness of the female World in cutting out Matches.

1795 E. Burke Lett. Peace Regic. France iv. (ad fin.), in Wks. (1818) IX. 126 They will cut out work for one another, and France will cut out work for them all.

1866 T. Carlyle Inaug. Addr. Edinb. 174 The most unhappy of all men is the man..who has got no work cut out for him in the world.

13.

a. To form or fashion by nature (for a particular purpose). (Usually in past participle)

ΘΠ

the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > suitability or appropriateness > suitable or appropriate [phrase] > suited for

to cut out1645

1645 J. Bond Occasus Occidentalis 61 It was a Country by scituation..cut out for safety.

1708 Dr. Smith in T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. 23 Dec. You seeme as it were to bee cut out for those studyes.

a1715 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Own Time (1724) I. 287 He was not cut out for a Court.

1874 F. C. Burnand My Time xiv. 115 She was cut out for a clergyman's wife.

†b. To fix upon (for a purpose). Obsolete.

ΘΠ

the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > types of choice > choose in specific way [verb (transitive)] > select from a number or for a purpose

markOE

to choose out1297

out-trya1325

cullc1330

welec1330

try1340

walea1350

coil1399

drawa1400

to mark outa1450

electa1513

sorta1535

prick1536

exempta1538

select1567

sort1597

to gather out1611

single1629

delibate1660

to cut out1667

outlooka1687

draught1714

draft1724

to tell off1727

1667 S. Pepys Diary 2 Sept. (1974) VIII. 419 They told me both..that they had long cut me out for Secretary to the Duke of York.

†14. to cut it out: to flaunt, make a show, cut a dash. Obsolete.

ΘΠ

the mind > emotion > pride > ostentation > make ostentatious display or show off [verb (intransitive)]

brandishc1340

ruffle1484

braga1556

swash1556

flourish1563

flaunt1566

prank1567

prink1573

to shake, wag the feather1581

peacockize1598

air1605

display1608

to launch it out1608

flasha1616

to cut it out1619

flare1633

vapour1652

peacock1654

spark1676

to gallantrize it1693

bosh1709

glare1712

to cut a bosh1726

to show away1728

to figure away, off1749

parade1749

to cut a dashc1771

dash1786

to cut up1787

to cut a flash1795

to make, or cut, a splash1804

swank1809

to come out strong1825

to cut a spludge1831

to cut it (too) fat1836

pavonize1838

splurge1844

to do the grand1847

to cut a swath1848

to cut a splurge1860

to fan out1860

spread1860

skyre1871

fluster1876

to strut one's stuff1926

showboat1937

floss1938

style1968

1619 J. Dyke Counterpoison 39 They must flaunt, and cut it out in apparell, furniture [etc.].

1679 G. Rose tr. P. Boaistuau Theatre of World ii. 149 Cutting it out in their Silks, Perfumes, and Embroideries.

15. intransitive. To admit of being cut out into shape.

ΘΠ

the world > space > shape > have (specific) shape [verb (intransitive)] > admit of being cut to shape

to cut out1829

1829 Bone Manure: Rep. Doncaster Comm. Agric. Assoc. 31 The whole [manure]..will cut out like a jelly.

1850 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 11 i. 139 Hay never cuts out so well as when it has been stacked from the field as fast as made.

16. intransitive (originally passive). Cards. To come out of or be excluded from a game (of whist) by cutting an unfavourable card; done in order to allow another player or players to cut in.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > whist > play whist [verb (intransitive)] > actions or tactics

finesse1742

to cut in1760

to cut out1771

to save one's pomp1788

to have the call1863

peter1887

cross-ruff1958

1771 Hist. Sir W. Harrington (1797) II. 216 My Lord and I, happening to be cut out at the same time at whist.

1780 F. Burney Let. June in Early Jrnls. & Lett. (2003) IV. 162 Mrs. Grenville, having Cut out at Cards..approached us.

1810 Sporting Mag. 36 122 With the same pleasure that a gentleman who has cut out returns to a rubber.

?1870 F. Hardy & J. R. Ware Mod. Hoyle 5 [article Whist] The fifth and sixth players..have the right to cut into the game when a rubber has been completed by the first four players. This operation is effected by two players cutting out. Cutting out..the players cut and the highest go out, whether two or one.

17. To finish shearing. Also in extended use: transitive, to finish; intransitive, to come to an end. Australian and New Zealand.

ΚΠ

1890 Argus (Melbourne) 20 Sept. 13/6 When the stations ‘cut out’, as the term for finishing is.

1896 H. Lawson In Days when World was Wide (1900) 47 The cheque was spent that the shearer earned, and the sheds were all cut out.

1919 W. H. Downing Digger Dial. 18 Cut-out (vb.), cease.

1925 R. Rees Lake of Enchantment vi. 94 If they could ‘cut out’ (or in other words get all their shearing over) by the end of the week.

?a1927 F. S. Anthony Follow Call (1936) xiii. 156 I've never been able to save a cent since I cut out the roll I made with you.

1933 Bulletin (Sydney) 31 May 38/3 Tomorrow they would cut out the last of the sheep and the men would be paid off.

1941 S. J. Baker Pop. Dict. Austral. Slang 21 To cut out,..to complete any task.

1948 Landfall 2 123 After the flax cut out and the mill moved on.

1959 H. P. Tritton Time means Tucker iv. 29/1 The last sheep was shorn, the bell rang, the whistle blew and Charlton was cut out.

1963 A. Lubbock Austral. Roundabout 157 The great mines in Victoria..began to cut out..but the miners often remained in the district.

18. transitive. To disconnect or switch off (an electric circuit, etc.). Also intransitive, to switch off; to cease operating.

ΘΠ

the world > action or operation > ceasing > cease activity [verb (intransitive)] > specifically of things, actions, or processes > specifically of a machine or mechanism

standc1175

to run down1665

stop1789

seize1878

to go phut1888

to cut out1910

conk1917

cut1938

trip out1940

phut1959

kill1886

to cut out1910

to turn off1921

cut1938

1910 Chambers's Jrnl. May 350/1 By means of a switch near the keyboard the organist can cut the motor in and out as desired.

1912 Chambers's Jrnl. Aug. 556/2 The dynamo is cut out automatically.

1917 Blackwood's Mag. May 804/1 We continued in a westerly direction, with one cylinder still cutting out.

1924 A. W. Judge Mod. Motor Cars III. 75 Which causes the hammer to vibrate and to cut-out the battery circuit.

1926 H. H. U. Cross Electric Lighting (ed. 4) 264 When the gears are fully enmeshed, the electro-magnet is..cut out by a disconnecting switch.

1928 Motor Man. (ed. 27) 110 When the dynamo speed falls below a certain minimum the device cuts out or opens the charging circuit.

1930 Daily Express 16 Aug. 5/5 When aero engines were much more liable to cut out and force one down in isolated places.

1935 Jrnl. Royal Aeronaut. Soc. 39 472 There is a danger of the engine cutting out during take-off.

to cut over

1. intransitive. To run or pass across: see 17.

ΘΠ

society > travel > [verb (intransitive)] > pass straight through or across

cut1551

to cut over1551

cleave1655

1551 [see sense 17]. 1576 [see sense 17].

2. transitive. To cut down the trees or bushes growing over (an area); to pass over cutting.

1789 Trans. Soc. Arts (ed. 2) 1 171 By the time the whole four acres had been cut over.

1889 W. Schlich Man. Forestry I. 10 The trees consist of stool shoots or root suckers which are cut over periodically.

3. To strike a person sharply over some part of the body with a weapon or missile; mostly passive: e.g. to be struck over the legs at hockey, to be struck or hurt by the ball at cricket; to be wounded.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > stroke with weapon > strike with a weapon [verb (transitive)]

areach1014

maulc1225

hitc1275

smitec1275

reachc1330

strike1377

to cut over1867

the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > strike with specific thing [verb (transitive)] > strike with an object > sharply

to cut over1867

1867 John Lillywhite's Cricketers' Compan. (ed. 23) 12 You will..prevent yourself from being cut over in that part which takes all the batting out of you.

1874 G. W. Dasent Half a Life I. 122 [At hockey] Now mind you look out..or you'll be cut over.

1890 R. Kipling Wee Willie Winkie 66 If he lives, he writes Home that he has been ‘potted’, ‘sniped’, ‘chipped’, or ‘cut over’.

1893 Cricket Field 29 July 304 He was cut over twice in rapid succession owing to inequalities in the ground, and inaccuracies in the bowlers.

4. To cut down, throw over with a slashing blow.

1884 J. Colborne With Hicks Pasha in Soudan 153 The officer cut over the first with a blow on his neck.

to cut under

To cut out by underselling. colloquial.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > selling > sell [verb (intransitive)] > undersell in price

to cut under1859

1859 J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms (ed. 2) To cut under, to undersell in price. New York.

1874 H. Mayhew London Characters 469 (Farmer) The spirit of competition on the part of the masters—the same universal desire to cut under.

to cut up

1. transitive. To cut so as to take or get up; to root up by cutting; also figurative.

ΘΠ

the world > space > place > removal or displacement > extraction > extract [verb (transitive)] > root out or up > by cutting

to cut up1602

1602 J. Marston Hist. Antonio & Mellida iv. sig. F4^v Rootes, rootes? alas, they are seeded, new cut vp.

1611 Bible (King James) Job xxx. 4 Who cut vp mallowes by the bushes.

1690 J. Locke Two Treat. Govt. i. xi This doctrine cuts up all government by the roots.

1767 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. (new ed.) II. 15 The law has therefore wisely cut up the root of dissension.

1839 Morning Herald 28 Aug. The gum trade..is nearly cut up by the roots.

2. To cut in pieces; to divide into parts by cutting, to carve; to cut open.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation for table or cooking > preparation of meat > dress animals for food [verb (transitive)] > carve

shearc1330

unlacec1400

smitea1500

carve1529

to cut up1574

cuta1616

the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > action of dividing or divided condition > division by cutting > divide by cutting [verb (transitive)] > cut into pieces

snithec725

chop?a1400

culpec1430

gobbonc1440

gobbeta1450

culpon1508

to cut up1574

share1577

junk1776

1574 J. Baret Aluearie C 1737 Cut vp: or winne these partriges.

1611 T. Middleton & T. Dekker Roaring Girle sig. G^v No wilde foule to cut vp but mine?

1847 F. Marryat Children of New Forest I. iii. 44 Now I'll cut up the onions, for they will make your eyes water.

1885 Illustr. London News 10 Oct. 362 Every lady and gentleman was instructed how to cut up a turkey, capon or bustard.

3. figurative. To divide into parts, destroy the continuity of; to destroy or mar irretrievably.

1813 L. Hunt in Examiner 19 Apr. 242/2 His night's sleep had been cut up.

1817 Faraday in B. Jones Life & Lett. (1870) I. 248 My time is just now so closely cut up.

1864 J. H. Burton Scot Abroad I. iii. 123 They will very soon cut up and destroy all we have in this country.

4. To overcome with great slaughter, ‘cut to pieces’: see 7c.

ΘΠ

society > armed hostility > victory > make victorious [verb (transitive)] > conquer or overcome

overcomeeOE

shendc893

awinc1000

overwinOE

overheaveOE

to lay downa1225

mate?c1225

discomfitc1230

win1297

dauntc1300

cumber1303

scomfit1303

fenkc1320

to bear downc1330

confoundc1330

confusec1330

to do, put arrear1330

oversetc1330

vanquishc1330

conquerc1374

overthrowc1375

oppressc1380

outfighta1382

to put downa1382

discomfortc1384

threshc1384

vencuea1400

depressc1400

venque?1402

ding?a1425

cumrayc1425

to put to (also at, unto) the (also one's) worsec1425

to bring or put to (or unto) utterance1430

distrussc1430

supprisec1440

ascomfita1450

to do stress?c1450

victorya1470

to make (win) a conquest1477

convanquish1483

conquest1485

defeat1485

oversailc1485

conques1488

discomfish1488

fulyie1488

distress1489

overpress1489

cravent1490

utter?1533

to give (a person) the overthrow1536

debel1542

convince1548

foil1548

out-war1548

profligate1548

proflige?c1550

expugnate1568

expugn1570

victor1576

dismay1596

damnify1598

triumph1605

convict1607

overman1609

thrash1609

beat1611

debellate1611

import1624

to cut to (or in) pieces1632

maitrise1636

worst1636

forcea1641

outfight1650

outgeneral1767

to cut up1803

smash1813

slosh1890

ream1918

hammer1948

1803 Duke of Wellington in Marquess Wellesley Select. Despatches (1877) 787 A parcel of stragglers cut up our wounded.

1821 V. Blacker Mahratta War i. ix. 155 (note) The body of cavalry..employed to cut up the column of infantry.

5. To cut, hack, or gash the surface of irregularly; to damage by or as by cutting.

ΘΠ

the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > cutting > cut [verb (transitive)] > cut roughly in order to damage

hacka1200

mangle1528

hackle1564

behack1565

to rip up1567

to cut upa1592

hash1591

bemangle1601

hagglea1616

hacker1807

snag1811

butch1834

a1592 H. Smith Serm. (1622) 301 Like the plough, which cutteth up the ground that it may receive the seed.

1765 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy VIII. xx. 90 The roads which were terribly cut up.

1826 W. Hone Every-day Bk. (1827) II. 104 The ice..was much cut up.

1859 All Year Round 23 July 306 The ground was..much cut up between wickets.

†6. To whip up, to incite with the whip. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > transport > riding on horse (or other animal) > ride (a horse or other animal) [verb (transitive)] > urge on > with whip

whip1587

to cut up1756

1756 T. Amory Life John Buncle I. 282 My horse was as good..and I cut him up, and pricked him over the turf.

7. figurative. To censure, criticize, or review with destructive severity.

ΘΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > criticism > criticize [verb (transitive)] > severely

to be sharp upon1561

crossbite1571

scarify1582

canvass1590

maul1592

slasha1652

fib1665

to be severe on (or upon)1672

scalp1676

to pull to (or in) pieces1703

roast1710

to cut up1762

tomahawk1815

to blow sky-high1819

row1826

excoriate1833

scourge1835

target1837

slate1848

scathe1852

to take apart1880

soak1892

pan1908

burn1914

slam1916

sandbag1919

to put the blast on (someone)1929

to tear down1938

clobber1944

handbag1952

rip1961

monster1976

1762 O. Goldsmith Citizen of World I. 73 The book-answerers..when they have cut up some respectable name.

1782 F. Burney Cecilia IV. vii. ix. 139 May be..its out of bashfulness: perhaps he thinks we shall cut him up.

1784 R. Bage Barham Downs II. 228 The conversation fell naturally..upon Miss Whittaker's affair, and Lord Winterbottom was cut up..without mercy.

1860 G. A. Sala Lady Chesterfield's Lett. 55 [The reviewer] savagely cutting up people's books or pictures.

8. To wound deeply the feelings of; to distress greatly. (Usually in passive)

ΘΠ

the mind > emotion > suffering > mental anguish or torment > cause of mental anguish or torment > cause anguish to or torment [verb (transitive)]

quelmeOE

eatc1000

martyrOE

fretc1175

woundc1175

to-fret?c1225

gnawc1230

to-traya1250

torment1297

renda1333

anguish1340

grindc1350

wringc1374

debreakc1384

ofpinec1390

rivea1400

urn1488

reboil1528

whip1530

cruciate1532

pinch1548

spur-galla1555

agonize1570

rack1576

cut1582

excruciate1590

scorchc1595

discruciate1596

butcher1597

split1597

torture1598

lacerate1600

harrow1603

hell1614

to eat upa1616

arrow1628

martyrize1652

percruciate1656

tear1666

crucify1702

flay1782

wrench1798

kill1800

to cut up1843

1843 C. Dickens Christmas Carol i. 2 Scrooge was not so dreadfully cut up by the sad event.

1876 F. E. Trollope Charming Fellow II. ix. 127 I believe he was dreadfully cut up at my going away.

†9. to cut up short: to cut short, interrupt.

ΘΠ

the world > action or operation > ceasing > cease from (an action or operation) [verb (transitive)] > cause to cease or put a stop to > suddenly or abruptly (an action or person)

break1330

to break offc1340

to take up1530

to cut off1576

stunt1603

to cut up short1607

to cut short1611

pawl1797

to sew up1837

to stop short1837

burst1842

to pull up1861

1607 S. Hieron Worth Water of Life in Wks. (1620) I. 197 Shee, beeing..something a shrewd-tongued woman, by and by cut Him vp short.

10. To share (plunder), to divide. slang.

ΚΠ

1779 R. Cumberland Wheel of Fort. iv. iii. (Farmer). A gentleman who trusts to servants in his absence is sure to be cut up.]

1879 Macmillan's Mag. 40 505 (Farmer) We had between sixty and seventy quid to cut up.

11. intransitive. To admit of being cut up or divided, to turn out as to amount of fortune; apparently originally a butcher's phrase; said of a person after his death. slang.

ΘΚΠ

society > law > legal right > right of possession or ownership > right to succeed to title, position, or estate > succession > descend by succession [verb (intransitive)] > be worth when dead

to cut up1782

1782 F. Burney Cecilia III. vi. ii. 232 Pray, how does he cut up? what has he left behind him?

1792 E. Gibbon Misc. Wks. (1814) I. 366 Geneva would cut up as fat as most towns in Europe.

1796 E. Burke Let. to Noble Lord 69 Their only question will be that of..some other of their legislative butchers, How he cuts up?

1831 B. Disraeli Young Duke III. iv. vii. 64 ‘You think him rich?’ ‘Oh! he will cut up very large!’ said the Baron.

1848 W. M. Thackeray Bk. Snobs vii. 29 The old banker died in course of time, and..‘cut up’ prodigiously well.

12. to cut up rough, rusty, savage, etc.: (intransitive) to become angry or quarrelsome. colloquial.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > anger > [verb (intransitive)] > become angry

wrethec900

wrothc975

abelghec1300

to move one's blood (also mood)c1330

to peck moodc1330

gremec1460

to take firea1513

fumec1522

sourdc1540

spitec1560

to set up the heckle1601

fire1604

exasperate1659

to fire up1779

to flash up1822

to get one's dander up1831

to fly (occasionally jump, etc.) off (at) the handle1832

to have (also get) one's monkey up1833

to cut up rough, rusty, savage1837

rile1837

to go off the handle1839

to flare up1840

to set one's back up1845

to run hot1855

to wax up1859

to get one's rag out1862

blow1871

to get (also have) the pricker1871

to turn up rough1872

to get the needle1874

to blaze up1878

to get wet1898

spunk1898

to see red1901

to go crook1911

to get ignorant1913

to hit the ceiling1914

to hit the roof1921

to blow one's top1928

to lose one's rag1928

to lose one's haira1930

to go up in smoke1933

hackle1935

to have, get a cob on1937

to pop (also blow) one's cork1938

to go hostile1941

to go sparec1942

to do one's bun1944

to lose one's wool1944

to blow one's stack1947

to go (also do) one's (also a) dingerc1950

rear1953

to get on ignorant1956

to go through the roof1958

to keep (also blow, lose) one's cool1964

to lose ita1969

to blow a gasket1975

to throw a wobbler1985

society > society and the community > dissent > quarrel or quarrelling > quarrel [verb (intransitive)] > be quarrelsome > become quarrelsome

to cut up rough, rusty, savage1837

to turn up rough1872

1837 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers xlii. 462 I may say I von't pay, and cut up rough.

1850 W. M. Thackeray Pendennis II. xii. 114 Hang it, you cut up quite savage.

1873 W. Black Princess of Thule vii. 107 Now, Ingram,..don't cut up rough about it.

13. To cut a dash; show off; to behave (in a specified way); to behave badly or indecorously. U.S. colloquial.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > behave badly [verb (intransitive)]

misbehave1703

misdemean1765

to go on1778

to cut up1787

perform1891

to act out1913

the mind > emotion > pride > ostentation > make ostentatious display or show off [verb (intransitive)]

brandishc1340

ruffle1484

braga1556

swash1556

flourish1563

flaunt1566

prank1567

prink1573

to shake, wag the feather1581

peacockize1598

air1605

display1608

to launch it out1608

flasha1616

to cut it out1619

flare1633

vapour1652

peacock1654

spark1676

to gallantrize it1693

bosh1709

glare1712

to cut a bosh1726

to show away1728

to figure away, off1749

parade1749

to cut a dashc1771

dash1786

to cut up1787

to cut a flash1795

to make, or cut, a splash1804

swank1809

to come out strong1825

to cut a spludge1831

to cut it (too) fat1836

pavonize1838

splurge1844

to do the grand1847

to cut a swath1848

to cut a splurge1860

to fan out1860

spread1860

skyre1871

fluster1876

to strut one's stuff1926

showboat1937

floss1938

style1968

1787 Generous Attachment i. 89 A couple of plough boys..would do, when properly dressed, and cut it up..as well as the best.

1859 A. Moore Notes Plymouth Pulpit: Coll. Passages H. W. Beecher 201 I believe I never did cut up so bad any one week as I did that week.

1862 J. R. Lowell Biglow Papers 2nd Ser. i. 13 It ain't no use to argerfy ner try to cut up frisky.

1888 Howells Likely Story in Harper's Mag. Dec. 26 If you dare to touch them, I'll ring for Jane, and then she'll see you cutting up.

14. Sport slang. To ‘behave’ (badly, etc.) in a race or competition.

ΚΠ

1883 Scotsman 11 July 18/1 He cut up badly and can have no chance for the Cup.

1883 Illustr. London News 12 May 463/2 (Farmer) Export again cut up wretchedly in the Burwell Stakes.

15. transitive. With caper, shines, etc.: to behave in a mischievous or frolicsome manner. U.S.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > frolicking or romping > frolic [verb (intransitive)]

floxec1200

ragea1275

to dance antics1545

rig1570

to keep (also play) reaks1573

wanton1582

wantonize1592

frolic1593

wantonize1611

hoit1613

mird?c1625

to play about1638

freak1663

romp1665

rump1680

ramp1735

jinket1742

skylark1771

to cut up1775

rollick1786

hoity-toity1790

fun1802

lark1813

gammock1832

haze1848

marlock1863

train1877

horse1901

mollock1932

spadger1939

grab-ass1957

1775 in Narragansett Hist. Reg. (1885) Apr. 263 A man that was in company there the evening before that cut up a caper.

1846 D. Corcoran Pickings 28 He vas cutting up all kinds of extra shines.. like these here theatric fellers.

1847 ‘H. Franco’ Trippings Tom Pepper I. vi. 43 Let me catch him cutting up any monkey shines in this house, and I'll bea[n] him!

a1848 Knickerbocker A wild bull of the prairies was cutting up shines at no great distance, tearing up the sod with hoofs and horns.

1851 N.Y. Tribune 10 Apr. in J. S. Farmer Americanisms (1889) We should have had just the same didoes cut up by the chivalry.

1903 A. D. McFaul Ike Glidden in Maine ii. 11 It was not Ike that cut up the mischief this time.

1945 S. Lewis Cass Timberlane (1946) xvii. 102 People recognizing you and staring at you cutting up monkey~shines!

16. To conduct or manage (a contest) fraudulently. Sport slang.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > collusion, intrigue > conspire against [verb (transitive)] > manage fraudulently

to frame up1891

to cut up1923

bend1960

1923 Daily Mail 16 Jan. 7 Georges Carpentier, M. Descamps, his manager, and M. Hellers, the manager of the coloured boxer Siki, have been acquitted by the French Boxing Federation of having arranged and ‘cut up’ the fight in which Siki was declared victor.

1923 Weekly Disp. 13 May 7 I read in newspapers now that more than half the races under National Hunt rules are cut up, and that jockeys and trainers are out to rob the public.

17. intransitive. Of the surface of the ground: to become broken up irregularly.

ΘΠ

the world > the earth > land > ground > [verb (intransitive)] > become rough

to cut up1891

1891 W. G. Grace Cricket iii. 70 Snow had fallen during the day, and the wicket cut up badly.

1909 Moa Flat Estate 36 Six-ton loads went through..before the roads ‘cut up’ and would not bear traffic.

18. to cut up (old) touches: to gossip or reminisce. U.S. slang.

ΚΠ

1931 D. Runyon Guys & Dolls (1932) viii. 180 They are cutting up old touches.

1931 D. Runyon Guys & Dolls (1932) xiii. 281 Having a drink together..and..cutting up old touches of the time when they run with the Hudson Dusters together.

1941 New Yorker 1 Nov. 27/3 He and Dutch would get together and cut up touches.

19. To cut in front of (another vehicle or its driver), esp. causing it to brake or take other evasive action; to pass recklessly or illegally. colloquial.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > drive a vehicle [verb (transitive)] > drive a motor vehicle > overtake > and cut in front of

to cut up1939

1939 H. Hodge Cab, Sir? xv. 219 To ‘cut a man up’ means much the same as the more official driving term ‘cutting in’.

1975 Observer 11 May 1/4 They drove up the inside of a line of traffic waiting to turn right into Ley Road. One of the vehicles they ‘cut up’ turned out to be a ‘nondescript’ (unmarked) police van.

Compounds

a. With object noun, = ‘that which or he who cuts…’ as cut-air, cut-beard, cut-caper, cut-girdle, cut-nose; cutpurse n., cut-throat n., cutwater n.

a1661 B. Holyday tr. Juvenal Satyres (1673) 266 A cut-purse..is by Plautus..called..a cut-girdle.

1665 R. Hooke Micrographia 174 The biggest stem of all the wing, and may be properly enough call'd the cut-air.

a1678 A. Marvell Britannia & Raleigh in State Poems (1689) 8 And Commons votes shall Cut-Nose Guards disband.

a1692 T. Shadwell Volunteers (1693) i. ii. 8 Her sence and breeding is fit for none but a Cut-Caper.

1767 ‘Coriat Junior’ Another Traveller! I. 39 Not one..greasy, lying, tale-bearing..newsmonger cut-beard is to be found.

b. = ‘…used to cut, cutting’, as cut-whip, cut-grass n.

1887 Pall Mall Gaz. 5 Aug. 3/1 A light, thin, supple whalebone cut whip.

Draft additions January 2002

transitive. slang (originally and chiefly U.S.). To manage, cope with, perform, or accomplish (something). Chiefly in to cut it: to succeed, to deal with something effectively; to meet an expected or required standard in the performance of a task, to measure up. Cf. sense 21c and to cut the mustard at mustard n. 3c.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > make a success of [verb (transitive)]

shift?1533

to pass muster1573

to give a good account of (something, often oneself)1601

to hit off1700

to make a job of1736

to make a do of1834

to make a go of it1836

cut1900

the world > action or operation > ability > be capable of [verb (transitive)] > have the ability for

to measure up to1854

cut1900

to have (also carry) the guns for1961

1900 C. L. Cullen Tales of Ex-tanks 62 Hello, there, pal..how're you cuttin' it this morning?

1906 Independent (N.Y.) 29 Nov. 1270/1 He can't cut that game with me.

1929 W. R. Burnett Little Caesar vi. iii. 232 ‘Listen, can't you do me a favor and get me a pack of cigs.’.. ‘Can't cut it.’

1937 Amer. Speech 12 46 This arrangement is so tough my band can't cut it.

1975 H. Ellison Gentleman Junkie 182 He doesn't look like he can cut three, four hundred miles of hard driving and still stay alert.

1980 ‘L. Cody’ Dupe (1981) xviii. 128 She came to London to find a bit of glamour and some action, and when she got here she was afraid she couldn't cut it.

2000 Guardian (Dar es Salaam) 27 Mar. 18/1 Others were more critical of the plan. ‘The whole idea is not going to cut it,’ said opposition leader Chee Soon Juan.

Draft additions September 2008

transitive. Computing. To use a function which deletes (text, graphics, etc.) from a document, esp. so as to insert a copy of it elsewhere (cf. paste v. 2c). Also intransitive.

ΚΠ

1975 Business Week 30 June 82 Hit a button called ‘cut’, and the word or paragraph disappears. Punch another button labeled ‘paste’ and the paragraph or word is inserted into the text where the pointer is located.

1993 MacUser Oct. 165/2 When text is copied or cut, the creating application throws it onto the Clipboard in its native format as well as in a text-only version minus the formatting.

1997 J. Seabrook Deeper i. 29 In 1988 I bought a Mac of my own... I learned to ‘Cut’ and to ‘Paste’.

2005 N.Z. Herald (Nexis) 21 Oct. Another partner to these is Ctrl X, which cuts the text.

Draft additions September 2008

to cut and paste.

a. To cut out (printed material) from one document, book, etc., and paste it into another, esp. during the composition of a printed work; (in extended use) to remove and replace elsewhere. Hence: to assemble or change by these means, esp. as a quick, expedient, or perfunctory way of doing something.

1772 Younger Brother II. 166 This was only cutting and pasting, as I used to call it: For when I met with any passages in preceding authors that suited my present purpose, without ceremony I cut the books to pieces, and, by adding a connecting sentence or two of my own, tacked the copy together,..and sent it to the press.

1778 R. Lewis Candid Philosopher II. 187 Those honest Booksellers, who give Employment to able-bodied Compilers in cutting and pasting Papers together for their Emolument.

1832 Ariel 7 Jan. 305/1 Surrounded by..the whole of the periodical publications, he [sc. the editor]..commences the business of the day. Reading, selecting, cutting and pasting.

1884 Iowa State Reporter (Waterloo) 8 May Ex-President Hayes is said to have a more elaborate set of scrap books..than any other public man in the country... He kept one of his clerks constantly busy cutting and pasting slips from the newspapers.

1950 J. Lawler H. W. Wilson Company vi. 95 Each entry on the gummed-paper set of proofs was then cut and pasted on the corresponding piece of copy.

1976 Jrnl. Philos. 73 148 The notions of truth and of truth conditions are theoretical auxiliaries, to be cut and pasted in whatever ways give us the nicest account of the assertability conditions.

1993 Coloradoan (Fort Collins) 12 Dec. e4/1 The result was a new disease-resistant tomato, and another level of refinement in the ability to cut and paste genes.

2008 Internat. Herald Tribune (Nexis) 17 May 3 Broad sheets filled with his squarish handwriting and with revisions that were cut and pasted, like bandages, on thin strips of paper.

b. Computing. To move (text, graphics, etc.) by deleting it from a document and inserting a copy of it elsewhere in a single operation. Cf. paste v. 2c.

ΚΠ

1981 Computer Music Jrnl. 5 57/2 As the score is built up, its current image appears on the Dorado's screen, where it can be scrolled, cut and pasted, and amended.

1984 S. Curran Word Processing for Beginners i. 4 If you don't like that first draft, you can ‘cut and paste’ the sections, altering the order, adding new paragraphs..and so on.

1992 CU Amiga May 116/2 After positioning the text on-screen it can be cut and pasted.

2007 Your Family Tree July 68/1 Either type your text or cut and paste it from another program.

Draft additions March 2019

colloquial (chiefly U.S.). to cut off more than one can chew (and variants): to undertake something which turns out to be beyond one's abilities; to be over-ambitious in one's plans; = to bite off more than one can chew at bite v. Phrasal verbs 1.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > undertaking > undertake or set oneself to do [verb (intransitive)] > undertake too much

to cut off more than one can chew1869

1869 J. E. Cooke Mohun ii. v. 112 ‘Old Jeb cut off more than he could chaw, that time!’ said a veteran afterward, in describing the fight.

1884 Muscatine (Iowa) Daily Jrnl. 2 May Being admonished by the State Department that he was cutting off more than he could conveniently chew, [he]..peremptorily ceased to be any longer a part of a diplomatic service in which merit was so poorly appreciated.

1928 N.Y. Herald Tribune 15 Jan. iii. 1/3 The first modern hotel [in Kansas City] occasioned derision of the reactionaries who thought the builder was cutting off more than he could chew.

1981 Boston Globe 27 Jan. 54/1 The Cambridge City Council cut off more than it could chew, it appears, when it recently proposed a series of tax measures aimed at..businesses.

2014 @smorts829 21 Feb. in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) Definitely cut off more than I can chew with this degree.

Draft additions January 2002

intransitive. Originally U.S. to cut to the chase [compare sense 21e] : (a) Film to cut to a chase scene; (hence) to cut to an interesting or fast-paced part of a film; (b) colloquial to get to the point, to get on with it; to concentrate on the essential elements of an issue, etc.; frequently imperative.

ΚΠ

1929 J. P. McEvoy Hollywood Girl 106 Jannings escapes... Cut to chase.

1955 F. Scully Cross my Heart xxix. 341 I am the sort who wants to ‘cut to the chase’ As far as I'm concerned, we can read the instructions later.

1979 Newsweek (Nexis) 13 Aug. 73 ‘Would you or would you not be interested in perhaps a bit of hypothetical conversation?’.. ‘Please delete the “hypothetical” part and cut to the chase.’

1981 N.Y. Times 6 Nov. c13 Darryl Zanuck used to tell film makers, ‘If you're in trouble, cut to the chase.’

1991 C. Hiaasen Native Tongue (1992) viii. 83 Cut to the chase... What the hell is it you want us to do?

1999 Marketing 16 Dec. 14/3 Stop bullshitting and cut to the chase.

Draft additions April 2011

North American slang. to cut the cheese: to break wind. J. E. Lighter Hist. Dict. Amer. Slang (1994) I 547/1 records an oral use from 1959.

ΚΠ

1972 G. Lucas et al. Amer. Graffiti (film script) 56 Ants. Okay, who cut the cheese? Bean. He who smelt it, dealt it!

1980 National Lampoon Oct. 48/1 If I was still in the mood for fun, I'd call our minister and cut the cheese.

1999 New Yorker 20 Sept. 74 He gives me this look, like, Who cut the cheese?

2006 J. Patrick Secret Passions 48 She cut the cheese not once but upon three distinct occasions. It took all my concentration and energy not to burst into a fit of laughter.

Draft additions June 2020

colloquial (originally North American).

a. to cut a cheque: to fill out or write a cheque to pay for something; (also more generally) to pay out money.Probably arising from the practice of cutting or tearing individual cheques from a chequebook.

1974 Benton (Arkansas) Courier 18 Mar. 2/2 Mrs. Downing had personally solicited the money each year for the [Christmas] lights and had cut a check of her own every year to defray the expense.

2001 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 18 Oct. b10/2 She noted how quickly the government ‘cut a $15 billion bailout check’ for the airlines.

b. to cut (a person) a cheque: to fill out or write a cheque to (a person); (also more generally) to pay money to.

1980 Pop. Sci. Dec. 144/1 (advt.) Send us back the unit and we'll cut you a check as soon as it arrives.

1995 National (Canad. Bar Assoc.) June 28/2 Within the next two weeks, your client should cut him a cheque for $6,000.

2009 Vanity Fair Feb. 146/3 He was convinced they needed large amounts of capital, and there was no way..that he could simply cut them a check without punishing their shareholders and executives.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

n.¹c1325

n.²?a1400

adj.c1380

v.c1275

单词	cut
释义	cutn.¹ Brit. /kʌt/, U.S. /kət/ Forms: Also cutt, cutte. Etymology: Origin and original sense uncertain. This has been usually regarded as merely a special use of cut n.² (under which it is still treated in recent dictionaries); but to this identification two considerations are opposed. First, cut ‘the act or result of cutting’ is (like such verbal derivatives generally) a word only of Modern English, known from the 16th cent., while cut ‘lot’ goes back before 1300, standing quite alone without any sense of cut n.² to explain or support it. Secondly, in Middle English, in the verb cut v. and its past participle, the forms kyt , kit , ket are of constant occurrence, but no such spellings are found for this word, only cut , cutt (cutte ). The latter circumstance opposes also any such suggestion as that cut ‘lot’ is an absolute use of the past participle meaning ‘the cut stick or straw’, ‘the cut or marked thing drawn’, a use which would besides be very difficult to admit at so early a date. There is no cognate word, and no derivative from any word meaning ‘cutting’, used in the other Germanic languages; in these the word lot n., with its cognates, is the native term. It is evident that drawing cuts has been from the 13th cent. a more popular form of sortilege, or a more popular and colloquial expression for it, than ‘casting lots’. Welsh has cwt ‘a little piece, a cut, a gobbet, a lot’ (Silvan Evans); cwt lot occurs in Salesbury's translation of the Bible, 1520; and the word has in Welsh the derivatives cwtws lot, lottery-ticket, share, cwtysyn lot, ticket; but it may be from English. 1. a. = lot n.: in the phrase to draw cuts, originally to draw (or lay) cut, applied to a ready way of casting lots, by the chance drawing of sticks or straws of unequal length.The simplest and most usual way is to take as many bits of straw, stick, or the like, as there are persons concerned, one of these bits being shorter (or it may be longer) than the others; these being held so that one end only is exposed, each person draws one of the bits for himself, and he who chances to draw the bit differing in length is the person to whom the lot falls. In later use each bit is called a cut, but in earlier use the decisive bit appears as the ‘cut’. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > types of choice > [noun] > choosing by casting lots > object used in lotOE cuta1340 sortc1400 α. To draw (lay) cut. a1340 R. Rolle Psalter xxi. 18 On my clathe þai laid kut. c1386 G. Chaucer Pardoner's Tale 465–7 I rede, that cut among us alle We drawe, and let se wher the cut wil falle; And he that hath the cut, with herte blithe Schal renne to the toun. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 16699 A-bute his kirtel drou þai cutt. c1440 York Myst. xxxv. 293 I rede we drawe cutte for þis coote. c1440 York Myst. xxxv. 295 The schorte cutte schall wynne. 1483 Cath. Angl. 88 To drawe Cutte, sortiri. 1533 T. More Apol. xxxvii, in Wks. 903/1 Let them draw cut betwene them. β. To draw cuts.1516 Lyfe St. Birgette in Kalendre Newe Legende Eng. (Pynson) f. cxxx^v They drewe Cuttes amonge theym, whiche of theym shulde be kyllyd.1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 526/2 I drawe lottes, or drawe cuttes, as folkes do for sporte, je joue au court festu [short straw].a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. xiv. sig. Y3 My daughter Mopsa..may draw cuts, & the shortest cut speake first.1600 Maydes Metamorphosis iv. sig. F2 Sil. Whether shall begin his note. Ge. Draw cuttes. Sil. Content, the longest shall begin.a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) v. i. 426. 1652 R. Brome Joviall Crew iii. sig. H4 I am pussell'd in the choice. Would some sworne Brother..were here to draw a Cut with me.1653 I. Walton Compl. Angler 75 I think it is best to draw cuts and avoid contention..Look, the shortest Cut fals to Coridon.1745 J. Swift Direct. to Servants 11 Who is to stay at home is to be determined by short and long Cuts.1855 C. Kingsley Westward Ho! (1861) 300 We three will draw cuts for the honour of going with him. †b. The drawing or casting of lots: †with or by cut, by lot. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > types of choice > [noun] > choosing by casting lots lotOE cutc1325 sortc1386 sortition1597 sortilege1600 ballotinga1618 sortilegy1643 ballota1680 sortilegium1858 c1325 (?a1200) Leges Quatuor Burgorum (Ayr) liv, in Acts Parl. Scotl. (1844) I. 343/1 Et sciendum est quod stallangiator nullo tempore potest habere loth cut neque cavyl de aliquo mercimonio cum burgense. a1340 R. Rolle Psalter xv. 6 Strengis..fell as wiþ kut. a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1957) i. viii. 27 Be cut or kavill that pled sone partit was. 1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) I. 39 Be cut and cavill than till his part fell he. †2. (One's) lot, fate, fortune; fate or fortune as a ruler of events. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > necessity > fate or destiny as determining events > [noun] weirdc888 whatec1200 fortunea1300 cuta1340 destinyc1374 fatec1374 destin1590 jade1594 fatalitya1631 ananke1860 the mind > will > necessity > fate or destiny as determining events > [noun] > that which is ordained by fate > personal destiny or one's lot lotOE chance1297 fallc1300 weirds1320 cuta1340 fatec1374 vie1377 parta1382 foredoom1563 event1577 allotment1586 fatality1589 kincha1600 lines1611 fortunea1616 dispensation1704 a1340 R. Rolle Psalter xxx. 18 In þi hend [are] my kuttes. 1423 Kingis Quair cxlv Hir that has the cuttis two In hand, both of ȝour wele and of ȝour wo. ?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 1367 To þe couent he him putt, In religioun to proue his cutt. ?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 6744 To england fell' a sary cutt. 1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid i. iii. 76 Quhilk is by cutt gevin me to bair in hand. 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 211/2 Cutte or lotte, sort. 1635 E. Pagitt Christianogr. (1646) i. 206 You see..how fortunate a cut those Gods have given us, whom wee robbed. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2022). cutn.² Brit. /kʌt/, U.S. /kət/ Etymology: In branches I–V < cut v.; in VI elliptical use of the past participle; in VIII the word may be distinct, since the phrase occurs about or before 1400, while the noun otherwise appears only in the 16th cent. I. Act of cutting. 1. literal. ΘΠ the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > cutting > [noun] bita1000 kerfc1000 slittingc1175 carving?c1225 chop1362 cuttinga1398 hacking1398 scissure?a1425 garsingc1440 racing?a1450 incision1474 secting1507 raze1530 chopping1548 scotching1551 hackling1564 slashing1596 carbonadoing1599 kinsing1599 insection1653 secation1656 scission1676 gash1694 inciding1694 haggling1761 cut1808 shear1809 carve1888 1808 Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 25 June 997 The speech is all whet and no cut. It is merely flummery. 1841 J. W. Loudon Ladies' Compan. to Flower Garden 81 The shoot should be cut off with what gardeners call a clean cut. 2. a. A stroke or blow with a sharp-edged instrument, as a knife, sword, etc. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > [noun] > stroke with sharp weapon draughtc1320 chop1362 reverse1490 slash1576 riverso1595 cuta1616 the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > [noun] > blow struck with an object or instrument > with a sharp instrument chop1362 weffea1400 slash1576 slashing1596 cuta1616 slap1688 streak1725 a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) iii. ii. 181 Through this, the wel-beloued Brutus stabb'd..This was the most vnkindest cut of all. View more context for this quotation 1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 73 Seeing him give the Fellow a barbarous Cut with the Hatchet. 1889 J. A. Froude Two Chiefs Dunboy v. 55 His face..had been disfigured by a sabre cut. b. Fencing and Sword exercise. A slashing blow or stroke given with the edge of the weapon (distinguished from a thrust given with the point). ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > [noun] > stroke with edge of weapon cut1593 society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > fencing > [noun] > actions buttc1330 overheadc1400 stopc1450 quarter-strokea1456 rabbeta1500 rakea1500 traverse1547 flourish1552 quarter-blow1555 veny1578 alarm1579 venue1591 cut1593 time1594 caricado1595 fincture1595 imbroccata1595 mandritta1595 punta riversa1595 remove1595 stramazon1595 traversa1595 imbrocado1597 passado1597 counter-time1598 foinery1598 canvasado1601 montant1601 punto1601 stock1602 embrocadoc1604 pass1604 stuck1604 stramazo1606 home thrust1622 longee1625 falsify?1635 false1637 traversion1637 canvassa1641 parade1652 flanconade1664 parry1673 fore-stroke1674 allonge1675 contretemps1684 counter1684 disengaging1684 feint1684 passing1687 under-counter1687 stringere1688 stringering1688 tempo1688 volte1688 overlapping1692 repost1692 volt-coupe1692 volting1692 disarm?1700 stamp1705 passade1706 riposte1707 swoop1711 retreat1734 lunge1748 beat1753 disengage1771 disengagement1771 opposition1771 time thrust1771 timing1771 whip1771 shifting1793 one-two1809 one-two-three1809 salute1809 estramazone1820 remise1823 engage1833 engaging1833 risposta1838 lunging1847 moulinet1861 reprise1861 stop-thrust1861 engagement1881 coupé1889 scrape1889 time attack1889 traverse1892 cut-over1897 tac-au-tac riposte1907 flèche1928 replacement1933 punta dritta1961 1593 G. Harvey Pierces Supererogation 140 Cuttes, slashes, and foines. 1833 Regulations Instr. Cavalry i. iv. 148 Each ‘Cut’ has its ‘Guard’. 1841 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop ii. lvi. 112 The broad-sword exercise with all the cuts and guards complete. c. cut and thrust: (a) as n., the act of cutting and thrusting; hand-to-hand struggle; (b) as adj. (the words being hyphenated), adapted for both cutting and thrusting; addicted to or connected with cutting and thrusting; also figurative; (c) elliptical = cut-and-thrust sword. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > [noun] > carrying out specific processes > cutting out cut and thrust1761 cutting-out1819 society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > sharp weapon > side arms > sword > [adjective] > cut-and-thrust sword cut and thrust1761 society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > cut or thrust with sword > [noun] > action of striking or fighting with sword lashingc1400 foining1523 rapier and dagger1571 blading1577 cut and thrust1840 swording1891 society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > fencing > [noun] > types of case of falchions1489 foils1600 quarte and tierce1785 cut and thrust1840 sabre1954 society > society and the community > dissent > contention or strife > [noun] i-winc888 wrestlingc890 fightc1000 flitec1000 teenOE winOE ungrithlOE wara1200 cockingc1225 strife?c1225 strivingc1275 struta1300 barratc1300 thro1303 battlec1375 contentionc1384 tuggingc1440 militationa1460 sturtc1480 bargain1487 bargaining1489 distrifea1500 concertation1509 hold1523 conflict1531 ruffle1532 tangling1535 scamblingc1538 tuilyie1550 bustling1553 tilt1567 ruffling1570 wresting1570 certationc1572 pinglinga1578 reluctation1593 combating1594 yoking1594 bandying1599 tention1602 contrast1609 colluctation1611 contestationa1616 dimication1623 rixation1623 colluctance1625 decertation1635 conflicting1640 contrasto1645 dispute1647 luctation1651 contest1665 stickle1665 contra-colluctation1674 contrasting1688 struggle1706 yed1719 widdle1789 scrambling1792 cut and thrust1846 headbutting1869 push-and-pull1881 contending1882 thrust and parry1889 aggro1973 1761 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy III. iv. 15 Pell mell, helter skelter, ding dong, cut and thrust..have they been trimming it [sc. a jerkin] for me. 1840 W. M. Thackeray Catherine i He-devils, sword and pistol, cut and thrust, pell-mell came tumbling into the redoubt! 1843 E. Bulwer-Lytton Last of Barons I. i. iii. 47 Thank you,..but I leave cut and thrust to the gentles. 1846 G. Grote Hist. Greece I. i. ii. 100 The cut and thrust of actual life. 1763 Brit. Mag. 4 301 My sword with a cut-and-thrust blade.1820 W. Scott Abbot I. iv. 104 The word, sword, comprehended all descriptions, whether back-sword or basket-hilt, cut-and-thrust or rapier.1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby ix. 85 That..scowl with which the cut-and-thrust counts in melo-dramatic performances inform each other they will meet again.1871 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues IV. 491 The short cut and thrust method of Socrates. 3. a. A sharp stroke or blow with a whip, cane, etc. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of striking with specific blunt weapon > [noun] > stroke with specific blunt weapon scutch1611 jordan1699 cut1725 the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > [noun] > blow struck with an object or instrument > with something pliant lashc1330 lashingc1400 jerking1552 jerk1555 whipping1577 slive1589 whissc1590 scutch1611 scutching1611 switchinga1640 cut1787 sliver1806 switch1809 welt1863 score1882 1725 New Canting Dict. I took him a Cut cross the Shoulders. 1787 ‘G. Gambado’ Acad. Horsemen 21 A good smart cut over his [sc. the horse's] right cheek and eye. 1833 H. Martineau Manch. Strike (new ed.) iii. 29 A cut across the knuckles with his riding-whip. 1885 R. F. Burton tr. Arabian Nights' Entertainm. I. xxxii. 334 He sentenced him to receive an hundred cuts with the scourge. b. plural. Corporal punishment, esp. of schoolchildren. Australian and New Zealand slang. ΘΚΠ society > authority > punishment > corporal punishment > [noun] corporal punishment1581 toco1823 cuts1915 1915 Bulletin (Sydney) 28 Oct. 47/1 ‘Six cuts yer give him,’ roared the whiskers... The stick emphasized the last remark by a rapid descent on the meek one's shoulders. 1938 P. Lawlor House of Templemore xi. 123 'Urry or yer'l git th' cuts. 1945 F. Sargeson When Wind Blows ii. 14 [You] would get the cuts for sure. 1963 D. Adsett Magpie Sings 57 If anyone was careless enough to use the wrong peg, their coat, hat and bag could be thrown to the floor without fear of getting the cuts. 4. figurative. An act whereby the feelings are deeply wounded, as a sarcasm, an act of unkindness, etc.; a severe disaster or misfortune; a blow, shock. ΘΠ the mind > emotion > suffering > mental anguish or torment > cause of mental anguish or torment > [noun] roodOE thornc1230 prickc1384 rack?a1425 travailerc1450 goading1548 twinge1548 goad1553 tormentor1553 cut1568 stingera1577 butcher1579 torture1612 bosom-devil1651 wound1844 knife-edge1876 nemesis1933 the world > action or operation > adversity > calamity or misfortune > [noun] > misfortune or ill-luck > instance of misfortune or ill-luck > severe or sudden shake1565 cut1568 dash1580 knock1649 shock1654 blow1678 stroke1686 black eye1712 1568 C. Watson tr. Polybius Hystories f. 65 The Romans..acknowledged this their simple cutte and sore repulse. a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) i. ii. 158. 1631 R. Bolton Instr. Right Comf. Affl. Consciences 15 A most cruell cut to a troubled conscience. 1766 Goody Two-Shoes (1881) ii. vii. 136 This was a Cut to a Man of his imperious Disposition. 1889 E. Bagshaw Advent Pastoral 17 Contemptuous cuts and disparaging words. 5. An excision or omission of a part. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > non-fiction > summary or epitome > [noun] > excision cut1604 amputation1740 excision1858 1604 T. Middleton Ant & Nightingale sig. D2^v He must venture..to the Bankside, where he must sit out the breaking vp of a Comedie, or the first cut of a Tragedie. 1781 R. B. Sheridan Critic ii. ii Hey day! here's a cut! What, are all the mutual protestations out? 1880 Sat. Rev. 1 May 568 The piece..will perhaps have a still better effect if the cuts which we have suggested are made. 6. The act of ‘cutting down’; a reduction in rates or prices; also, a reduction in wages, supplies, services, etc. Originally U.S. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > instance of downfall1654 fall1792 drop1847 cut1881 degrowth1920 step-down1922 rollback1942 society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > fluctuation in price > [noun] > decline in prices > cutting prices > a cut in prices cut1881 markdown1897 1881 Chicago Times 17 June Supplemented by a still further ‘cut’ of two cents. 1888 Times 13 Nov. 5/1 (Philadelphia) Stocks declined to-day because of a radical cut in the freight rates between Chicago and the sea-board. 1921 Daily Herald 29 Apr. 1/4 The L.C.C. do not contemplate any immediate cuts in their tramway service. 1946 Daily Tel. 27 Mar. A statement of unusual gloom emanated from the Food Ministry..prophesying a fresh ‘cut’ in the soap and margarine rations. 1968 R. Harris Nice Girl's Story ii. 14 The gas..flickered blue and cold. ‘There's some kind of a cut, I think.’ 1971 Daily Tel. 18 Feb. 15/2 It is still not known how much next year's cut of 10,000 in the total of 180,000 assisted passages..will affect candidates from Britain. 7. The act of ‘cutting’ by a horse: see cut v. 27: the part of the leg injured by cutting. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of horses > [noun] > disorders of legs > cutting > part of leg cut cut1688 the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of horses > [noun] > disorders of legs > cutting speedy cut1692 swift cut1725 swish cut1725 cut1831 1688 London Gaz. No. 2376/4 A brown Gelding..cuts on the Speedy cut of both his Fore-Legs. 1831 W. Youatt Horse xiii. 245 The inside of the leg, immediately under the knee..is subject to injury from what is termed the speedy cut. 8. Cards. The act of cutting a pack of cards; the card obtained by cutting. †new cut n. name of some card game (obsolete). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > [noun] > actions or tactics > dealing, cutting, or shuffling shuffling1579 deal1607 shuffle1651 lifting1674 cut1729 misdeal1797 riffle1862 ruffle1872 long deal1893 handout1904 1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes Trinca, a game at cards called swig or new cut. 1729 J. Swift Jrnl. Dublin Lady 6 How can the Muse..in harmonious Numbers put the Deal, the Shuffle, and the Cut? 1860 ‘Capt. Crawley’ Handy Bk. Games 324 Should a card be exposed, there must be a fresh cut, the dealer having the option of shuffling them before the next cut. Not fewer than four cards are considered a cut. 9. A step in dancing: see cut v. 30. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > dancing > movements or steps > [noun] > step > other steps reprise1521 double1531 reprinse1531 single1531 hop1579 cross-pointa1592 trip1601 back-tricka1616 inturna1627 shorta1652 coupee1673 cut1676 fleuret1677 bourrée step or pas de bourrée1706 contretemps1706 cross-step1728 boring1775 pigeon wing1807 pas de basque1818 cross-cut1842 flicflac1852 buckle-covering1859 reverse1888 reversing1892 cross-stepping1893 box step1914 jump turn1924 moonwalk1969 coupé- 1676 G. Etherege Man of Mode v. ii. 94 No one woman is worth the loss of a Cut in a Caper. 1751 T. Smollett Peregrine Pickle I. xvi. 119 Performed sundry new cuts with his feet. 1842 C. Dickens Amer. Notes I. vi. 218 Single shuffle, double shuffle, cut and cross-cut. 1892 Mrs. H. Ward David Grieve I. 175 David stopped his cut and shuffle. 10. A particular stroke in various games with balls: a. Cricket. The stroke described s.v. cut v. 31a. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > batting > [noun] > types of stroke long ball1744 nip1752 catch1816 no-hit1827 cut1833 short hit1833 draw1836 drive1836 square hit1837 skylarker1839 skyer1840 skyscraper1842 back-cut1845 bum1845 leg sweep1846 slog1846 square cut1850 driver1851 Harrow drive1851 leg slip1852 poke1853 snick1857 snorter1859 leg stroke1860 smite1861 on-drive1862 bump ball1864 rocketer1864 pull1865 grass trimmer1867 late cut1867 off-drive1867 spoon1871 push1873 push stroke1873 smack1875 Harrow drive1877 pull-stroke1880 leg glance1883 gallery-hit1884 boundary-stroke1887 glide1888 sweep1888 boundary1896 hook1896 leg glide1896 backstroke1897 flick1897 hook stroke1897 cover-drive1898 straight drive1898 square drive1900 edger1905 pull-drive1905 slash1906 placing stroke1907 push drive1912 block shot1915 if-shot1920 placing shot1921 cow-shot1922 mow1925 Chinese cut1937 haymaker1954 hoick1954 perhapser1954 air shot1956 steepler1959 mishook1961 swish1963 chop- 1833 Gentleman's Mag. July 44/2 Beldham was great in every hit, but his peculiar glory was the cut. 1855 ‘Stonehenge’ Man. Brit. Rural Sports (1868) 568 The main difference is between the perpendicular cut to leg and the horizontal one to off side. 1888 R. H. Lyttelton in A. G. Steel & R. H. Lyttelton Cricket (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) ii. 61 The real genuine cut goes to the left side of point..When the player is well in..he very often makes..a clean cut; that is to say, he hits with a bat quite horizontal to the ball, and not over it. b. Tennis. The stroke described s.v. cut v. 31b; also the ‘screw’ put on the ball by this stroke. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > lawn tennis > [noun] > types of stroke service1611 serving1688 screw1865 cut1874 cutting service1874 boast1878 first serve1878 smash1882 twister1884 cross-shot1889 lob1890 ground stroke1895 lob ball1900 twist service1901 boasting1902 cross-volley1905 get1911 chop1913 forehander1922 kick serve1925 forehand1934 touch shot1936 dink1939 net shot1961 overhead1964 groundie1967 slice1969 moonball1975 moonballing1977 1874 Field 15 Aug. Good balls always bound, except when they have that cut on which W. H. E. evidently dislikes. 1878 J. Marshall Lawn Tennis 37 The cut will also be found very useful in the service. c. Croquet. A stroke in which a ball is driven away obliquely by another ball. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > croquet > [noun] > types of stroke following stroke1837 rush1868 stop-stroke1868 cut1874 cut-over1874 jump-stroke1874 take-off1874 tice1874 passing croquet1877 split1896 split stroke1897 passing stroke1901 jump shot1909 Hong Kong1957 split shot1975 1874 J. D. Heath Compl. Croquet-player 33 More force will be required to send a ball a given distance by a cut, than when it is rushed in a straight line. Categories » d. Rackets. A ball served so that it strikes upon or below the ‘cut-line’, which is a fault. 11. Gunsmithing. Each of the various processes through which the several limbs of the gun pass. ΚΠ 1881 W. W. Greener Gun & its Devel. 270 In some arms upwards of 1,000 separate cuts have to be made to complete each gun, to say nothing of drilling the various holes. 12. colloquial. a. The act of ‘cutting’ or refusing to recognize an acquaintance. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > discourtesy > [noun] > lack of affability > refusal to recognize a person cut1798 1798 Monthly Mag. in Spirit of Public Jrnls. (1799) 2 382 The cutter either walked smartly by, pretending not to see the cuttee; or, if he wished to make the cut more complete, looked him full in the face. 1829 Travelled Monkey in A. Cunningham Anniversary 133 That look which London calls a cut, Our traveller on his cousin put. 1848 W. M. Thackeray Bk. Snobs ii. 5 We met, and gave each other the cut direct that night. 1856 C. Merivale Hist. Romans under Empire V. xliv. 169 The Cut, the resource of sullenness and shyness, is, I believe, a strictly English institution. b. Intentional absence from or deliberate omission to attend (an event). Cf. cut v. 33c. ΘΚΠ the world > space > place > absence > [noun] > absenting oneself absenting1447 truanting1532 absentment1600 absentation1800 cut1851 1851 B. H. Hall Coll. College Words 90 Cut, an omission of a recitation. 1856 Coll. College Words (ed. 2) 147 Cuts. When a class [at Bowdoin College] for any reason become dissatisfied with one of the Faculty, they absent themselves from his recitation, as an expression of their feelings. 1915 Dial. Notes 4 233 Cut, unexcused absence from class. 1919 W. T. Grenfell Labrador Doctor (1920) ii. 22 Attendance at chapel was compulsory, and no ‘cuts’ were allowed. 13. (See quot. 1879.) Π 1879 Scribner's Monthly 19 327/1 Often in storms a strong swift current runs along the coast between the outer bar and the shore, called by the surfmen the ‘set’ or ‘cut’. †14. Irish History. A levy of money, a tax, an impost: cf. cut v. 35. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > impost, due, or tax > tax > [noun] tacka1300 taxa1327 tail1340 stent138. emption1467 duty1474 stint1485 teamc1485 liverage1544 stipend1545 toust1574 sess1579 cut1634 censure1641 gild1656 leviation1681 levation1690 1634–5 Stat. Ireland (1765) II. 169 To that end doe make cuts, levies and plotments upon themselves to pay them. 15. Cinematography. A quick transition from one shot to the next (see also quot. 1940). Cf. cut v. 21e. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > filming > special effect > [noun] > cut cutting1921 quick cut1932 cut1933 cutaway1951 jump cut1953 match cut1961 1933 I. Dalrymple in A. Brunel Filmcraft 174 Don't ignore the stunt or effect cut. 1933 M. Hankinson in A. Brunel Filmcraft 225 A cut is always made between the second and third sprocket-holes of a frame..on the action and parallel on the track..because..the ordinary joining machine loses two sprocket-holes on each bit of film it joins. 1940 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 217/2 Cut, the junction between one strip of continuous film of motion-picture and the next. 1944 S. Cole Film Editing 10 In similar circumstances such a cut would be acceptable even without any sound at all. 1959 Viewpoint July 19 A straight ‘cut’ instead of the conventional ‘fade’ helped to achieve a startling visual jerk. 1961 G. Millerson Technique Television Production 298 The cut is the simplest transition—an immediate change from one shot to the next. II. A passageway. 16. a. A passage, course, or way straight across; esp. as opposed to going round a corner or by a circuitous route. Also concrete, and figurative. ΘΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > a straight course > [noun] cut1577 forthright1609 airline1813 beeline1828 crow-fly1846 crow-flight1875 society > travel > means of travel > route or way > [noun] > straight or direct > short cut the (occasionally your, etc.) next wayc1330 cut1577 near cut1612 short cut1619 overcut1636 cross-cut1800 cut-off1806 quick cut1890 1577 W. Harrison Hist. Descr. Islande Brit. i. i. f. 1/2, in R. Holinshed Chron. I The shortest & most vsuall cut that we haue out of our Iland to the maine, is from Douer..vnto Calice. 1591 H. Savile tr. Tacitus Ende of Nero: Fower Bks. Hist. i. 19 Tired and sick with so long a cut [L. longa navigatione]. 1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. xxxii. xxiii. 824 Whence the passage over to Corinth is a cut [L. trajectus] almost of seven miles. 1637 T. Heywood Dial. xv, in Wks. (1874) VI. 233 So long a cut Must I take pains to waft thee. 1831 A. W. Fonblanque Eng. under Seven Admin. (1837) II. 174 The cut across the fields is shut up. 1883 J. Parker Tyne Chylde 273 One of those rhetoricians who would take any cut to a climax. b. esp. in short cut, a crossing that shortens the distance. abstract and concrete, literal and figurative. ΘΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > [noun] > a quick method compendium1581 short cut1589 1589 R. Greene Menaphon sig. H3 He..hauing the winde fauourable made a short cut. a1593 C. Marlowe Tragicall Hist. Faustus (1604) sig. B2 The shortest cut for coniuring Is stoutly to abiure the Trinitie. 1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 63 The shortest cut into Greece. a1657 W. Burton Comm. Antoninus his Itinerary (1658) 114 The way is not alwaies by the shortest cut. 1866 Duke of Argyll Reign of Law vii. 362 There are no short cuts in Nature. 1888 J. W. Burgon Lives Twelve Good Men II. xi. 311 A short cut across the fields..was made for the convenience of the inhabitants. c. Also near cut. (Still common in Scottish) ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > route or way > [noun] > straight or direct > short cut the (occasionally your, etc.) next wayc1330 cut1577 near cut1612 short cut1619 overcut1636 cross-cut1800 cut-off1806 quick cut1890 1612 Bp. J. Hall Contempl. I. ii. viii. 408 Hee..now leades them the nearest cut to Iericho. 1677 E. Browne Acct. Trav. Germany 2 The nearest cut out of England into Holland is from Laistoffe Point to Gravesandt. 1783 Ainsworth's Thes. Linguæ Latinæ (new ed.) iv. at Anaxagoras There is a near cut to heaven from every place. 1801 ‘Gabrielli’ Mysterious Husband II. 135 He set forward, taking, for expedition, all the nearest cuts. 1803 M. Venzee Fate 42 The old man..had arrived before me, by a nearer cut in the wood. III. A manner of shaping or styling, and related uses. 17. a. The shape to which, or style in which a thing is cut; fashion, shape (of clothes, hair, etc.). spec. Short for haircut n., used esp. with defining word. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > [noun] > to which something is cut cut1578 the mind > attention and judgement > fashionableness > [noun] > a particular fashion cut1578 trink?1578 chic1970 the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the hair > styles of hair > [noun] > cut or cropped roundinga1582 stumps1584 stubs1607 trim1608 tonsure1650 committee cut1691 rasure1737 crop1795 county crop1839 flat-top1859 prison cropc1863 clip1889 Dartmoor crop1930 razor cut1940 prison haircut1948 scissor cut1948 cut1951 pudding basin1951 short back and sides1965 1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 63 With costlye attire of the new cutte. a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) ii. vii. 155 With eyes seuere, and beard of formall cut . View more context for this quotation 1678 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. i. 15 You see how the files of several cuts succeed one other. c1684 Frost of 1683–4. 19 The cuts were diamond, the substance ice. 1751 S. Johnson Rambler No. 138. ⁋5 Wearing a gown always of the same cut and colour. 1805 Naval Chron. 15 125 From the cut of her sails an enemy. 1883 S. C. Hall Retrospect Long Life II. 187 A broad-brimmed hat and coat of Quakerish cut. 1951 N. Marsh Opening Night iv. 90 I'm a shoulder-length natural ash-blonde and I've had to have an urchin cut and go black. 1953 Encycl. Brit. Bk. of Year 639/2 Fashion produced the Pony-Tail and the Poodle-Cut, two hairstyles for women. 1960 Sunday Express 14 Aug. 12/4 The short cut..was made for me. 1960 Sunday Express 23 Oct. 14/3 One guinea for a ‘cut’. b. figurative. Fashion, style, make. ΘΠ the world > relative properties > kind or sort > [noun] > of construction or composition shaft888 makea1325 suitc1330 makinga1398 mark1482 inventiona1513 workmanship1578 cut1590 model1597 mould1667 fashioning1870 Mk.1921 1590 ‘Pasquil’ First Pt. Pasquils Apol. sig. C2^v A right cutte of the worde, without gigges or fancies. 1602–3 Manningham in Eng. Illustr. Mag. Mar. (1884) 368/2 A young gallant, but of a short cutt. 1628 W. Prynne Vnlouelinesse of Louelockes 25 Others of the common ranke and cut. 1740 S. Richardson Pamela II. 208 My good Mother was one of this old-fashion'd Cut. 1856 J. W. Carlyle Lett. II. 307 These Londoners are all of the cut of this woman. c. the cut of one's jib: one's general appearance or look. slang, originally nautical: see jib n.¹ ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > [noun] onseneeOE bleea1000 shapeOE ylikeOE laitc1175 semblanta1225 sightc1275 fare1297 showingc1300 specea1325 parelc1330 guise1340 countenance1362 semblance?a1366 apparel1377 regardc1380 apparencec1384 imagec1384 spicec1384 overseeminga1398 kenninga1400 seemingc1400 visage1422 rinda1450 semenauntc1450 'pearance1456 outwardc1475 representation1489 favour?a1500 figurea1522 assemblant1523 prospect?1533 respect1535 visure1545 perceiverance1546 outwardshine1549 view1556 species1559 utter-shape1566 look1567 physiognomy1567 face1572 paintry1573 visor1575 mienc1586 superficies?1589 behaviour1590 aspect1594 complexion1597 confrontment1604 show1604 aira1616 beseeminga1616 formality1615 resemblancea1616 blush1620 upcomea1630 presentment1637 scheme1655 sensation1662 visibility1669 plumage1707 facies1727 remark1748 extrinsica1797 exterior1801 showance1820 the cut of one's jib1823 personnel1839 personal appearance1842 what-like1853 look-see1898 outwall1933 visuality1938 prosopon1947 1823 R. Southey in C. C. Southey Life & Corr. R. Southey (1850) V. 144 Their likeability, which depends something upon the cut of their jib. 1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple I. ii. 20 I see you're a sailor by the cut of your jib. 1881 R. Buchanan God & Man ii. iii I like the cut of your jib less than ever. 18. Phrase. a cut above (some person or thing): a degree or stage above. colloquial. ΚΠ 1797 C. Lamb Let. 24 June in Lett. C. & M. A. Lamb (1975) I. 112 There is much abstruse science in it above my cut.] 1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian iv, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. II. 84 Robertson is rather a cut abune me. 1842 F. Marryat Percival Keene I. i. 5 She was..a cut above the housekeeper in the still-room. 1891 L. B. Walford Mischief of Monica xi The girl herself is a cut below par. IV. The result, effect, or product of cutting. 19. An opening in a surface made by a sharp-edged instrument, an incision; a wound made by cutting, a gash. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > [noun] > wound > cut carfa1000 seamc1400 slapc1480 gap?a1500 gash1528 cut1530 scarification?1541 chopping1558 slash1580 slaughter1592 snip1600 hacka1610 sluice1648 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 211/2 Cutte, a wounde, covppevre. 1557 Bible (Whittingham) Matt. ix. 16 The cutte is made worse. 1618 N. Field Amends for Ladies iii. sig. E4 How come they by such Cuts and glashes? 1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 236 Two or three of the Men had Cuts in their Backs and Thighs. 1830 S. Cooper Dict. Pract. Surg. (ed. 6) 1269 When the wound is a common cut, the sides of the division ought to be brought in contact. 20. An incision made in the edge of a garment, etc., for ornament; a slash; a natural indentation, as in the edge of a leaf. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > part of plant > leaf > [noun] > part or side of backsidec1392 cut1563 purl1626 ambitient1657 unguicle1657 verge1704 sinus1753 pagina1832 blade1835 crenel1835 biforine1842 underleaf1873 tentacle1875 bullation1882 leaf skin1974 the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > trimmings or ornamentation > border or edging > parts of dag1399 tag1402 tatter1402 jag1530 cut1563 Vandyke1827 tab1834 tabc1880 1563 2nd Tome Homelyes Excess of Apparel, in J. Griffiths Two Bks. Homilies (1859) ii. 313 While one spendeth his patrimony upon pounces and cuts. 1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball ii. lxxxiii. 261 Sauing that euery little leafe his cuttes are a great deale narrower. 1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing iii. iv. 18 Cloth a gold and cuts, and lac[']d with siluer. View more context for this quotation 1641 J. Milton Reason Church-govt. 23 She might go jagg'd in as many cuts and slashes as she pleas'd. 1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 302 The Habit..with..Cuts and Slashes almost on every Side. 21. A passage or channel: a. An artificial watercourse cut or dug out; a channel, canal, cutting. (In common use in the Fen district in England.) ΘΠ the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > stream > [noun] > channel for conveyance of water water leatOE water lade1224 leat1279 watergang1293 sow1316 trough1398 wissinga1400 lanec1420 waterway1431 water leasow1440 watercoursea1450 fleam1523 lead1541 cut1548 aqueducta1552 lake1559 strand1565 race1570 channel1581 watergauge1597 gout1598 server1610 carriage1669 runnel1669 aquage1706 shoot1707 tewel1725 run1761 penstock1763 hulve1764 way-gang1766 culvert1774 flume1784 shute1790 pentrough1793 raceway1793 water carriage1793 carrier1794 conductor1796 water carrier1827 penchute1875 chute1878 by-cut1883 1548 Petit. of Sandwich in Boys Sandwich (1792) 735 To authorize the said mayor..and inhabitants..to cut out, newe erect and make one newe cutt into their said haven. 1570 Act 13 Eliz. c. 18 Preamb. The Leading and Passage of the said Water, thorough such a..Cut, as may serve for the Navigation of Barges. 1603 R. Knolles Gen. Hist. Turkes 89 Enuironed with a nauigable ditch or cut. 1697 Philos. Trans. 1695–7 (Royal Soc.) 19 344 Through these Fens run great Cuts or Dreyns. 1803 G. Rose Diaries (1860) II. 20 To make a..navigable cut from the Red Sea to the Nile. 1893 Act 36 & 37 Vict. c. 71 §58 Any watercourse, mill race, cut, leat, or other channel for conveying water..from any river. †b. A natural narrow opening or passage by water; a channel or strait. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > water > sea or ocean > channel > [noun] > strait or narrow channel sounda1300 straitc1386 narrowa1544 kyle1549 guta1552 distrait1562 fret1576 pacea1578 cut1598 narrow seas1615 Propontis1689 neck1719 tickle1770 rigolet1771 khal1903 1598 R. Grenewey tr. Tacitus Annales v. ii. 119 Hastning ouer the Toronæan and Thermæan cut, and passing by Eubœa. 1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. ii. 203 Mona whereof Cæsar maketh mention, in the mids of the cut..betweene Britaine and Ireland. 1642 T. Fuller Holy State ii. viii. 77 It were but a narrow cut to ferry over. 1678 tr. L. de Gaya Art of War ii. 102 The Castle of Salses, on the Cut of the Sea. c. A creek or inlet. Now local. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > land mass > shore or bank > bend in coast > [noun] > inlet in river or sea fleetc893 creekc1300 graina1400 updraught14.. armleta1552 land-featherc1582 indraught1596 inlet1596 vent1604 cut1630 re-entrant1893 1630 tr. G. Botero Relations Famous Kingdomes World (rev. ed.) 456 The Country is full of cuts and inlets from this River. 1727 Beverley Beck Act 1 A Creek or Cut, commonly called Beverley Beck. 1890 M. Townsend U.S.: Index to United States Amer. 137 Cut, used on the eastern shore of Florida as synonymous with inlet. d. A passage cut as a roadway through a rock, wood, dense part of a city, etc.; a railway cutting. ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > [noun] > cut through a wood or rock trenchc1405 holleway?a1500 path1548 cut1730 hollow-way1765 score1790 shute1879 society > travel > rail travel > railway system or organization > [noun] > cutting cutting1836 railway cutting1839 rock cut1841 cut1881 1730 H. Sloane in Philos. Trans. 1729–30 (Royal Soc.) 36 261 Having again continued our Journey under Ground in the Salt-work, we then found ourselves in the Cuts. 1789 Ess. Shooting (1791) 300 The sportsman may..watch at some opening, or cut which runs through the wood. 1881 Chicago Times 12 Mar. The snow is six feet in the cuts. 1881 Scribner's Monthly 22 528/2 On the left are cuts and tunnels. e. Theatre. A narrow longitudinal opening, cut in the flooring of the stage, by which scenes are moved up and down. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > stage > [noun] > grooves for scenery cut1859 groove1866 1859 G. A. Sala Gaslight & Daylight ii. 23 On this frame the scene to be painted is placed; and..worked up and down the cut as the painter may require. 1881 L. Wagner Pantomimes 55 The visitor will discern what are called the cuts in the flooring of the stage..When required these cuts are opened..for the passage of the scenes to be sent up. 22. a. A design cut or engraved upon wood, copper, or steel; the impression from this; an engraving, a plate. Now restricted to engravings on wood (see woodcut n.), those on metal being called plates. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > printmaking > engraving > [noun] > an engraving cut1646 sculpture1654 plate1663 engraving1803 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica 258 Set forth in the Icons or Cuts of Martyrs by Cevallerius. View more context for this quotation 1662 J. Evelyn Sculptura iii. 23 The Invention of Copper-cuts, and their Impressions. 1662 J. Evelyn Sculptura iv. 84 With some other cuts in wood known by his mark..All those excellent Wood Cuts. 1695 London Gaz. No. 3131/3 The Cutts of the University..richly bound, and Printed in Folio at the Theatre. 1710 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1889) III. 17 The wooden Cutts of the actors. 1781 G. Crabbe Library 8 Bibles with cuts and comments. 1824 J. Johnson Typographia I. 253 The cuts to this edition are better executed. 1885 Mag. Art Sept. 449/1 A glance at our first two cuts will give an idea of their position. b. A gramophone record or recording. Cf. cut v. 23d originally U.S. ΘΚΠ society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > sound recording and reproduction > a sound recording > [noun] > record or disc phonograph record1878 record1878 disc1879 gramophone record1888 title1908 platter1926 phonodisc1929 release1932 wax1932 plate1935 waxing1936 audio disc1944 cut1949 sounds1955 twelve-inch1976 vinyl1976 1949 Music Libr. Assoc. Notes Dec. 42 A recording artist cuts a master and the recording executive may reject the cut. 1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio 247 Cut,..one of several separately recorded bands..on a disc. 1970 New Yorker 12 Dec. 182/2 These two cuts, along with..‘Little Sadie’, showed promise of saying something interesting. †23. A carving. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > sculpture or carving > [noun] > a sculpture or carving graving1382 carvingc1384 similitudea1450 piece1579 insculpturea1616 sculpture1616 draught1646 cut1658 cutting1787 sculpc1845 mushroom stone1957 1658 Hist. Q. Christina 264 The Church of St. Francis..with noble statues, embossed works, and infinite cuts of Greeke marble. V. A piece cut off. 24. a. A piece of anything cut off; esp. of meat, a slice. ΘΠ the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > cut or piece of meat > [noun] cut1591 lift1688 1591 R. Percyvall Bibliotheca Hispanica Dict. at Tajada A cut of flesh, a slice of bread. 1641 H. Peacham Worth of Peny 16 The worst and first cut, as of boild beefe. 1791 J. Boswell Life Johnson anno 1737 I. 49 [Johnson:] I had a cut of meat for six-pence, and bread for a penny. 1864 D. G. Mitchell Seven Stories 52 Perhaps we can take a cut off the same joint. †b. A slice of meat as a slight meal. Cf. cold cuts n. at cold adj. Compounds 4. U.S. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > cut or piece of meat > [noun] > slice or strip of meat randc1330 steak1530 collop1577 stroke1581 sticking draught1688 scallop1723 fillet1725 cut1770 escalope1828 1770 G. Washington Diary 9 June (1925) I. 383 Had a cold cut at Mrs. Campbell's. 1773 Diary 21 Feb. II. 102 [They] calld here, but would not stay dinner, taking a Cut before it. 1816 U. Brown Jrnl. 24 Sept. in Maryland Hist. Mag. (1916) 11 230 At last comes to an Orniary [sc. Ordinary], fed & took a cut. 1827 Cincinnati Enquirer 15 Aug. 2/5 A cold cut at Utica. c. A number of sheep or cattle cut out from the flock or herd. U.S., Australian, and New Zealand. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > animal keeping practices general > herding, pasturing, or confining > [noun] > droving > cutting-out > number cut out cut1888 1888 T. Roosevelt in Cent. Mag. Apr. 860/2 As the animals of a brand are cut out they are received and held apart by some rider detailed for the purpose, who is said to be ‘holding the cut’. 1907 S. E. White Arizona Nights (U.K. ed.) i. vi. 112 The round-up Captain appointed two men to hold the cow-and-calf cut, and two more to hold the steer cut. 1933 E. Jones Autobiogr. Early Settler xxi. 93 [They] took a small cut of twenty or thirty sheep up to the river. 1953 B. Stronach Musterer on Molesworth x. 68 At last we got a small cut of our mob [of cattle] over [the bridge] and the rest was easy. d. slang. Share (of profit, etc.); commission; = rake-off n. originally U.S. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > giving > distributing or dealing out > an allotted share, portion, or part > [noun] > of booty, spoils, or profits fee14.. fleece1601 snappage1602 guile-shares1723 reg'lar1777 regular1811 share-out1864 corner1878 rake-off1887 split1889 tantième1897 cut1918 1918 H. C. Witwer From Baseball to Boches ix. 363 If you get nailed we'll give your wife a cut of our winnin's! 1940 P. G. Wodehouse Quick Service xii. 101 I don't mind giving Howard Steptoe his cut, but..five hundred pounds has got to be earmarked for me. 1957 W. H. Whyte Organization Man 282 The real money would come from..the company's cut..of every dollar spent in the shopping center. 1970 New York III. 30 Nov. 28/3 The net proceeds of a $2 million stock offering after the underwriter had taken his cut. 25. A piece of cloth of definite length cut from a warp. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > [noun] > piece of > other pieces piece?c1430 fasel1440 speckc1440 pane1459 rag?1536 remnant1571 fag end1607 swatch1647 cut1753 rigg1769 hag's teeth1777 bias1824 spetch1828 shredlet1840 bias tape1884 short end1960 1753 J. Hanway Hist. Acct. Brit. Trade Caspian Sea I. xxvii. 169 The present..consisting of several cuts of fine cloth. 1891 Labour Commission Gloss. Cuts, sometimes called ‘ends’, are pieces of cloth of a certain length (generally of or about 100 yards) cut from a warp. 26. A certain quantity of yarn; properly containing 120 rounds of the legal reel, and 91 inches long. (Scottish and English regional (northern).) ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > thread or yarn > [noun] > other measures or quantities of lease1391 lea1399 knotc1540 needleful1598 cut1632 winch1640 slip1647 spangle1705 vat1730 pad1746 heer1774 count1837 1632 in Quarter Sessions Rec. (N. Riding Rec. Soc.) (1885) III. Two women for stealing 30 cuttes of linen yarn. 1726 in Quarter Sessions Rec. (N. Riding Rec. Soc.) (1890) VIII. Linen yarne..must be ‘good and full tale of six score threads to the cutt’. 1791 Statist. Acct. Roxburghshire (Galashiels) II. 308 (Jam.) A stone of the finest [wool].. will yield 32 slips of yarn, each containing 12 cuts, and each cut being 120 rounds of the legal reel. 1800 M. Edgeworth Orphans in Parent's Assistant (ed. 3) V. 74 Mary spun nine cuts a day besides doing all that was to be done in the house. 27. The quantity cut (of a natural product, esp. timber). Chiefly U.S. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > lumbering > [noun] > felling trees > quantity felled ploughbote1398 fall1535 hag1535 succisiona1626 fell1767 cut1807 felling1885 cutting1902 1807 R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. (new ed.) II. 360 A medium crop for the first cut. 1878 Lumberman's Gaz. 16 Mar. The cut of this year exceeded the cut of last year by at least 20 per cent. 1890 Times 22 Sept. 4/2 The cut of violet clovers in France is not likely to be large. 28. (See quot. 1890.) Also, a portion of a field cut, or intended for cutting, at one time. U.S. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > land raising crops > [noun] > harvest-field > cut portion of field cut1765 1765 G. Washington Diary 6 Nov. (1925) I. 216 Finishd sowing Wheat at the Mill—viz 19 Bushls. in ye large cut within the Post and Rail fence and 6 B. in ye small cut. 1770 Diary 14 Sept. 399 Morris at Doeg Run began to sow his third Cut of Wheat. 1855 G. N. Jones Florida Plantation Rec. (1927) 132 The Cotton in the lower most cut of prelow will avrige knee high, the next two cutes will not avrige quit wast high. 1890 Dial. Notes (Boston), Kentucky words ii. 64 Cut, with tobacco raisers..a portion of a tobacco field. ‘Did you finish worming that cut you were on?’ VI. Substantive uses of the past participle. †29. ‘A familiar expression for a common or labouring horse’ (Nares). Obsolete [It is doubtful whether the sense is ‘cut-tail horse’ or ‘gelding’.] ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > horse defined by purpose used for > [noun] > work horse workhorse1463 cuta1529 farm horse1732 night horse1840 a1529 J. Skelton Magnyfycence (?1530) sig. Aiiii^v In fayth I set not by y^e worlde two dauncaster cuttys. 1577 G. Whetstone Remembraunce Gaskoigne sig. B.ij The Colliers cut, the Courtiars Steed will tire. 1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 ii. i. 5 I preethe Tom beat Cuts saddle.. poore iade is wroong in the withers. View more context for this quotation a1625 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Two Noble Kinsmen (1634) iii. iv. 22 He's buy me a white Cut, forth for to ride. View more context for this quotation †30. A term of abuse, applied to a man or woman. Obsolete or dialect. [Perhaps < 29: with Call me cut , compare Falstaff's ‘call me horse’ in 1 Henry IV, ii. v. 195. As applied to a woman, apparently more opprobrious: compare cutty adj. and n.] ΚΠ ?a1534 H. Medwall Nature i. sig. bi^v Yf thou se hym not take hys owne way Call me cut when thou metest me a nother day. 1575 W. Stevenson Gammer Gurtons Nedle v. ii. sig. Eii That lying cut is lost, that she is not swinged and beaten. 1605 London Prodigall C ij b And I doe not meete him, chill giue you leaue to call me cut. a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) ii. iii. 181 If thou hast her not i'th end, call me Cut . View more context for this quotation 1725 New Canting Dict. A Cut in some Northern Counties..signifies a Strumpet. 1820 W. Scott Abbot II. iv. 115 ‘You shall call me cutt if I do go down,’ said Adam. †31. a. Gunnery. A short cannon of any calibre. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > piece of artillery > [noun] > small or short pieces murderer1495 curtala1509 minion1513 passe-volant1513 pikmoyane1513 saker1521 base1539 robinet1547 quarter cannon?a1549 bersec1550 murdresarc1550 yetling1558 battardc1565 demi-cannon1577 calabass1578 double curtal1582 demi-culverin1587 rabinet1596 murdering piece1601 drake1627 putter1646 cartow1650 putterlingc1650 minion drakea1661 cut1672 under-saker1678 murther1688 carronade1779 carthoun1849 1672 Compl. Gunner i. vii. 9 Bastard Pieces are shorter chases..and are therefore called Cuts of the same nature of the Piece they agree with in the bore; as those of Demi-Culverin bore, are called Demi-Culverin Cuts, etc. b. Gaming. (plural) = Cut dice; dice made of irregular shape for cheating. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > games of chance > dice-playing > [noun] > die or dice > false or loaded stop-dice1540 bar1545 flat1545 gourd1545 barred dicec1555 bristle-dicec1555 fulhamc1555 graviersc1555 high manc1555 langretc1555 low manc1555 cheat1567 dice of vantage?1577 demy1591 forger1591 squarier1592 tallmen?1592 stop cater trey1605 demi-bar1606 downhill1664 high runner1670 low runner1670 doctor1688 tat1688 uphill1699 cut1711 loaded dice1771 dispatcher1798 dispatch1819 miss-out1928 1711 J. Puckle Club 21 (note) At dice they have the doctors, the fulloms, loaded dice, flats, bars, cuts. †32. A kind of blanket: see quot. 1677. Obsolete. Π 1677 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Oxford-shire 279 Of their best tail wooll they make the blankets of 6 quarters broad, commonly called cuts, which serve Sea-men for their Hammocs. 33. plural. Persons who have ‘cut’ each other, i.e. renounced each other's acquaintance. colloquial. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > discourtesy > [noun] > lack of affability > refusal to recognize a person > one or those who cutter1798 cuts1871 1871 Daily News 13 Feb. Bismarck and ‘our Fritz’, are very nearly what schoolboys call ‘cuts.’ 1880 Times 21 Sept. 4/1 People who leave Southampton the best of friends and arrive in Bombay dead cuts. VII. The feather of a bird. †34. Falconry. (Of uncertain history. See quot. 1611.) ΚΠ 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Cousteau,.. the principall feather in a Hawkes wing, tearmed by our Faulkoners (in short-winged Hawkes) the Cut, or Cuttie. Phrases † to keep one's cut, keep cut: a phrase of obscure origin, meaning something like: ‘To keep one's distance, be coy or reserved’. Most of the later occurrences appear to refer to Skelton's Phyllyp Sparrowe, or at least to have the same origin. Obsolete. [The variant fend cut suggests a fencing phrase: but there is the great difficulty, referred to above, of the early date of the phrase, which makes it doubtful whether it really belongs to this word; and its place here must be considered as merely provisional.] ΘΠ society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > separation or isolation > separate [verb (intransitive)] > stand aloof or take no part keep cut?a1400 to stand out?1496 to sit out1558 ?a1400 Cov. Myst., Woman taken in Adultery 148 Com forth, thou sloveyn! com forthe, thou slutte! We xal the teche with carys colde, A lytyl bettyr to kepe thi kutte. 1421–2 T. Hoccleve Dialog 789 If..some of hem thee ther-of vpbreide, Thow [Hoccleve] shalt be bisy ynow..Thy kut to keepe. a1529 J. Skelton Phyllyp Sparowe (?1545) sig. A.vii^v It wold set on a stole And lerned after my scole For to kepe his cut With Phyllyp kepe youre cut. 1573 G. Gascoigne In Prayse of Phillip in Hundreth Sundrie Flowres sig. Oiiii^v As if you say but fend cut phippe, Lord how the peat will turne and skippe. a1586 Sir P. Sidney Astrophel & Stella (1591) 34 Good brother Phillip..craftely you seemed your Cut to keepe, As though that faire soft hand did you great wrong. a1627 T. Middleton More Dissemblers besides Women i. iv, in 2 New Playes (1657) 17 Oh that a Boy should so keep cut with his Mother, and be given to dissembling. 1632 R. Brome Northern Lasse iii. ii And Philip 'twas my Sparrow..Chirp it would, And hop, and fly to fist, Keepe cut, as 'twere a Vsurers Gold, And bill me when I list. a1652 R. Brome New Acad. iv. i. 72 in Five New Playes (1659) But look how she turnes and keeps cut like my Sparrow. Compounds General attributive. C1. with adverbs. cut-down n. a reduction in wages (cf. to cut down at cut v. Phrasal verbs); see also cut-in n.², cut-off n., cutout n., cut-up n. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > payment for labour or service > wage structures and scales > [noun] > wage-cut Irishman's rise1869 cut-down1888 wage cut1925 1888 Boston (Mass.) Jrnl. 30 July 2/3 Strike against a cut-down. 1892 in N.Y. Nation 11 Aug. 100/3 No cut-down in wages. C2. cf. cut v. 18b. † cut-beaten adj. Obsolete beaten with cuts or strokes of a whip, etc. Π 1634 Noble Souldier ii. i I'de make thee roare And weare cut-beaten-sattyn. cut-heal n. name for a species of valerian. Π 1863 R. C. A. Prior On Pop. Names Brit. Plants Cut-heal, the valerian. 1878–86 J. Britten & R. Holland Dict. Eng. Plant-names Cut-heal, Valeriana officinalis according to Prior, but more likely V. pyrenaica. cut-line n. Rackets (a) a line painted on the front wall about the height of 9 ft. 6 in. from the floor, above which the ball must be served; (b) (see quot. 1912); (c) descriptive wording below an illustration. ΘΚΠ society > communication > printing > printed matter > arrangement or appearance of printed matter > [noun] > heading > types of heading epigraph1633 under-title1687 subhead1744 side head1822 catchword1833 side heading1836 subject line1836 subheading1842 catchline1845 subject heading1853 cut-line1883 box head1899 caption1923 overline1923 underline1924 strap1960 strap-line1960 society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > rackets > [noun] > court > part of cut-line1883 short-line1898 1883 Encycl. Brit. XX. 210/1 Another white line across the front wall, termed the ‘cut line’, because the in-player, when serving, must first make the ball rebound from the front wall above this line. 1912 M. Drake Eng. Glass-painting 183 The panes composing it [sc. the panel] should be laid in their places on a sheet of paper and their outlines traced by a pencil run round their edges. This sheet of paper will serve the glazier as a ‘cut-line’ drawing when the panels are handed to him for re-leading. 1923 M. Drake Doom Window xxv. 290 Cartoons began to be completed, and Reinecke and Sophie now made the cut-line drawings. 1938 L. M. Harrod Librarians' Gloss. 54 Cut line, matter appearing below an illustration. More often called a ‘caption’. 1964 H. Waugh Missing Man xi. 48 Betty Moore's picture ran two columns wide on the front pages with the cutlines describing her as the ‘widowed beauty’. cut-looker n. Weaving see quot. ΚΠ 1891 Labour Commission Gloss. Cut-looker, the person who examines and is held responsible for the work produced by the weaver. A cut or piece means a given length of calico. cut-mark n. Weaving see quot. ΚΠ 1874 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Cut-mark, a mark made upon a set of warp-threads before placing on the warp-beam of the loom, to mark off a certain definite length. cut-over n. a sharp cut or stroke over the legs, etc. (cf. to cut over 3 at cut v. Phrasal verbs). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > croquet > [noun] > types of stroke following stroke1837 rush1868 stop-stroke1868 cut1874 cut-over1874 jump-stroke1874 take-off1874 tice1874 passing croquet1877 split1896 split stroke1897 passing stroke1901 jump shot1909 Hong Kong1957 split shot1975 1874 G. W. Dasent Half a Life I. 155 The marks of kicks and cuts over at hockey. † cut-painted adj. Obsolete adorned with cuts or gashes, tattooed. Π 1611 J. Speed Hist. Great Brit. Concl. 895/2 They couered their Cut-painted bodies with Garments. cut-side n. the side of a canal or of a railway cutting. ΚΠ 1870 Birm. Town Crier IX. No. 13. 8/1 Walk along the cutside, and chuck pebbles over the summit bridge. cut-through n. an act of cutting through; spec. in Rugby (Webster, 1934). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > rugby football > [noun] > actions or manoeuvres scrimmaging1776 throw on1845 rush1857 catch1858 maul1860 touch1863 mauling1864 touch-in-goal1869 goal-kicking1871 throw-forward1871 sidestepping1877 handing1882 punting1882 heel1886 touch kicking1889 forward pass1890 scrumming1892 touch-finding1895 heeling1896 wheel1897 scrag1903 reverse pass1907 jinka1914 hand-off1916 play-the-ball1918 gather1921 pivot pass1922 sidestep1927 smother-tackle1927 stiff-arm1927 heel-back1929 scissors1948 rucking1949 loose scrummaging1952 cut-through1960 pivot break1960 put-in1962 chip kicking1963 box kicking1971 peel1973 chip and chase1976 tap penalty1976 1960 Times 28 Dec. 4/4 Leicester were in trouble again after a cut-through by Jeeps. 1962 Times 2 Mar. 4/2 There was a fast, weaving cut-through by Watkins. Draft additions September 2018 Film. A version of a film after editing, esp. any one of a sequence of versions before or including the final release version. Cf. director's cut n. at director n. Additions, fine cut n.², rough cut n.Later also used of television and other media. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > printing > [noun] > a print > edited versions cut1922 rough cut1922 fine cut1952 rough edit1958 director's cut1980 1922 San Antonio (Texas) Light 12 Feb. I sat in the projection room looking at the rough cut and feeling morose. 1968 S. E. Whitfield in S. E. Whitfield & G. Roddenberry Making of ‘Star Trek’ iv. vii. 375 The music editor screens the final cut with the composer and producer, and together they determine every second throughout the show where music will be heard. 1993 Cineaste 19 98/2 JFK: The Director's Cut restores only seventeen minutes of footage to the film. 2011 New Yorker 17 Oct. 64/1 In December, Stanton showed a two-hour-and-fifty-minute cut of the film to Disney and Pixar executives, a check-in known as a Braintrust meeting. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online June 2022). cutadj. Brit. /kʌt/, U.S. /kət/ Etymology: Past participle of cut v. 1. a. Gashed or wounded with a sharp-edged instrument; having an incision made in it. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > [adjective] > wounded > cut hacked?1440 cutc1665 slashed1825 c1665 L. Hutchinson Mem. Col. Hutchinson (1973) 79 To bind up a cutt finger. 1889 F. Treves Man. Surgery (ed. 6) II. xi. 473 The ordinary cut throat of the suicide or homicide. b. esp. Of clothes, etc.: Having the edges or other parts purposely indented or slashed, for ornament or as a fashion. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [adjective] > having specific parts > ornamented or trimmed > cut or slashed taggedc1380 daggedc1386 slita1387 rivenc1400 jaggedc1440 cut1480 voided1548 razed1552 raced1576 slashed1633 1480 W. Caxton Chron. Eng. ccxxvi. 233 Short clothes and streyte wastyd dagged and kyt, and on euery syde slatered. 1528 W. Tyndale Parable Wicked Mammon in Wks. I. 103 In a visor, in a disguised garment, and a cut shoe. 1573 G. Harvey Let.-bk. (1884) 6 His kut dublets. a1627 T. Middleton Mayor of Quinborough (1661) v. i. 66 Y'had both need wear cut clothes. 1678 London Gaz. No. 1273/4 Another Apron laced with cut and slash Lace. c. Of leaves and other natural objects: Having the margins deeply indented and divided. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > part of plant > leaf > [adjective] > compound or lobed cut1565 winged1668 pinnate1687 conjugated1690 trifoliated1698 auriculated1712 auriculate1714 pennate1723 pinnated1725 pennated1727 bigeminate1753 lyrated1753 pedated1753 pinnatifid1753 supradecomposite1753 supradecompound1753 ternated1753 trifoliate1753 lyrate1760 pedate1760 quinate1760 ternate1760 tripinnate1760 palmed1767 bilobated1770 lyre-shaped1778 pennatifid1778 finger-parted1783 superdecompound1783 bipinnate1785 biternate1785 conjugate1785 lobed1787 tergeminate1793 wing-cleft1796 yoked?1803 binate1807 septenate1807 trijugous1813 auricled1821 pinniform1821 multijugous1828 pinnulate1828 trifoliolate1828 bipinnatifid1830 multifoliolate1831 multijugate1831 quinquefoliolate1832 bifoliolate1835 pinnatisected1837 palmatifid1839 tripinnatifid1839 foliate1840 palmatipartite1840 pinnatilobate1840 pinnatipartite1840 pinnatisect1840 bipinnated1842 biconjugate1847 imparipinnate1847 paripinnate1851 pinnatulate1855 polytomous1856 multifoliate1857 pennati-partite1857 pennati-sected1857 ternato-pinnate1857 tripinnatisect1857 patentoternate1859 septemfoliate1859 bipinnatipartite1861 bipinnatisected1861 bipalmate1864 pinnatilobed1866 septenous1866 cut-leaved1870 lobing1870 ternatisect1870 tripinnated1876 trijugate1880 jugate1887 pinnulated1890 trisect1899 tridigitate1900 trigeminous1900 1565–73 T. Cooper Thesaurus Alcea..marsh mallow: or cut mallow. 1796 W. Withering Arrangem. Brit. Plants (ed. 3) IV. 38 Leaves small, cut, hoary. 1874 C. C. Babington Man. Brit. Bot. (ed. 7) 159 Ovate cut or pinnatifid l[eafle]ts. 2. a. That has been subjected to cutting; affected or modified by cutting. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > cutting > [adjective] > cut hacked?1440 ripped1552 bemangled1570 cut1594 woundedc1595 haggled1598 incised1598 gashed1602 hackled1611 carbonadoeda1616 gashya1625 sleft1627 mangled1779 haggly1825 1594 W. Shakespeare Titus Andronicus ii. i. 87 Easie it is, Of a cut loafe to steale a shiue we know. View more context for this quotation 1803 Sporting Mag. 21 326 Cut~cards..cards..having the good cards..all cut shorter, and the bad ones cut something narrower. 1881 Daily News 1 Sept. 3/3 In the Bank of England..buyers having now to choose between..Napoleons and German 20 marks at 76s. 6¹/ ₂d., and cut sovereigns at 77s. 10¹/ ₂d. 1892 Pall Mall Gaz. 5 Aug. 3/1 Cut cloth is canvas painted, from which the carpenters cut away all portions which are not touched with paint. b. Of money: see cut-money n. at Compounds 1 ( Compounds 1 below). U.S. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > [adjective] > cut into pieces cut1844 1844 in C. Cist Cincinnati Misc. (1845) I. 6/1 As late as 1806..the business house in Philadelphia in which I was apprentice, received over one hundred pounds of cut silver. 3. a. Formed, shaped, fashioned, or made by cutting; having the surface shaped or ornamented by grinding and polishing, as cut glass; also (transferred, colloquial) an affected expression or mode of speech; also (with hyphen) attributive. cut velvet: velvet having the pile cut so as to form patterns. †cut river: a canal. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > creation > [adjective] > created or produced > formed or constructed > formed by cutting well-cut1578 cut1677 rock-hewn1781 incised1807 society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > materials having undergone process > [adjective] > cut, hewn, or sawn hewnc1400 sawn1536 sawed1553 cut1677 the world > the earth > water > body of water > channel of water > [noun] > navigable waterway > canal channel1579 canal1597 cut river1677 navigation1720 shipway1840 canalette1869 klong1898 society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > glass and glass-like materials > [noun] > glass > other types of glass mirror glass1440 Venice glass1527 green glass1559 bubble glass1591 hard glass1597 window glass1606 bottle glass1626 looking-glass plate1665 opal glass1668 flint-glass1683 broad-glass1686 jealous glass1703 plate glass1728 Newcastle glass1734 flint1755 German sheet glass1777 Réaumur's porcelain1777 cut glass1800 Vauxhall1830 muslin glass1837 Venetian glass1845 latticinio1855 quartz glass1861 muff glass1865 thallium glass1868 St. Gobain glass1870 frost blue1873 crackle-glass1875 opaline1875 crackle-ware1881 amberina1883 opal1885 Jena1892 Holophane1893 roughcast1893 soda glass1897 opalite1899 milchglas1907 pâte de verre1907 Pyrex1915 silica glass1916 soda-lime glass1917 Vita-glass1925 peach-blow1930 borosilicate glass1933 Vitrolite1937 twin plate1939 sintered glass1940 gold-film1954 Plyglass1956 pyroceram1957 float glass1959 solar glass1977 society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > ornamental glass-work > [noun] > cut or relief-decorated glass silver glass1797 cut glass1800 mousseline1862 cameo glass1879 prunt1902 verre églomisé1907 reticello1926 the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > made from silk > [noun] > types of > velvet > types of silk velvet1530 refusado1598 French velvet1602 cut velvet1840 piece velvet1871 ring velvet1895 the mind > language > speech > manner of speaking > accent > [adjective] > of particular accents broad?1533 plum-in-the-mouth1553 strong1735 educated1838 Kensingtonian1902 Morningside1953 cut glass1962 lock-jawed1974 the mind > language > speech > manner of speaking > accent > [noun] > correct accent or pronunciation received pronunciation?1710 orthoepy1801 orthophony1845 orthoglossy1877 RP1889 R.S.1889 cut glass1966 1677 A. Yarranton England's Improvem. 7 By making Cut Rivers Navigable in all places where Art can possibly effect it. 1717 G. Berkeley Jrnls. Trav. Italy 8 Jan. in Wks. (1955) VII. 246 The gardens..have fine cut walks. 1800 M. Symes Acct. Embassy to Ava xvi. 382 A handsome girandole of cut glass. 1802 C. Wilmot Irish Peer on Continent (1920) 22 The Room lighted by a handsome cut glass Lustre. 1816 M. Keating Trav. (1817) II. 81 The masonry is, as usual with the Romans, stratified in alternate courses of cut-stone and brick-work. 1840 W. M. Thackeray Catherine viii The cut-velvet breeches. 1845 C. Knight Capital & Labour 169 Cut-glass is now comparatively..cheap. 1875 H. B. Stowe We & our Neighbors xxxii. 303 I arranged it in my high cut-glass dish and covered it with foamy billow of whites of eggs. 1945 D. Thomas Let. 30 July in Sel. Lett. (1966) 282 A position or positions—cut-glass for job or jobs. 1957 Granta 9 Mar. 20/1 All I can remember now is a cut-glass decanter stopper. 1962 John o' London's 24 May 507/2 An impeccable cut-glass accent. 1966 ‘L. Lane’ ABZ of Scouse 96 She talks cut glass. b. cut bank n. see quot. 1932. North American. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > land mass > shore or bank > bank > [noun] > of river > outer cut bank1819 1819 N. Amer. Rev. 8 11 The Nottoway at Cut Bank Bridge. 1837 S. Cumings Western Pilot 66 You pass close by this cut bank of the bar. 1884 ‘M. Twain’ Adventures Huckleberry Finn xv. 116 In about a minute I come a booming down on a cut bank with..big trees on it... That cut bank was an island. 1897 Medicine Hat (Alberta) News 28 Jan. 1/6 The horse on which he was riding went over the cut bank near the iron bridge. 1932 Dial. Notes 6 228 Cut-bank. This word (variously spelled cutbank, cut-bank, and cut bank) is often used for the outer bank at the bend of a stream, the bank which the stream cuts into, leaving the opposite side flat. 1968 R. M. Patterson Finlay's River 26 On the right bank of the Parsnip [River] there is a high cutbank, a sand-and-gravel cliff. c. cut paper n. paper cut into a desired shape, usually for decorative purposes. Also (with hyphen) attributive. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > [noun] > work in specific medium bonework1557 shell-work1611 rockwork1615 feather-work1665 quillwork1688 boss-work1697 ice work1729 wafer-work1789 filigree paper1800 feather-mosaic1843 cut paper1847 plumagery1854 leather-work1856 graffito1863 cuerda seca1911 papercraft1917 barbola1927 rosemaling1933 cuenca1939 penwork1969 1847 E. Brontë Wuthering Heights I. xiii. 323 A fire-place hung with cut paper dropping to pieces. 1891 R. Kipling Light that Failed i. 10 The boy who..had decorated Amomma's horns with cut-paper ham-frills. 1962 Times 31 May 16/4 The marvellous cut-paper experiments in pure colour which are far more familiar in America than here. 1967 E. Short Embroidery & Fabric Collage i. 28 When working out designs in cut paper. d. cut nail n. U.S. (See quot. 1874.) ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > building and constructing equipment > fastenings > [noun] > nail > other nails scotsem nail1273 scotnail1293 foot nail1406 seam1406 sharpling1415 grope1425 cannel-nail1566 boss-nail1697 common nail1698 cut nail1795 1795 J. Scott U.S. Gazetteer 1288/2 3 nail manufactories for cut nails. 1809 Deb. Congr. 13 Aug. 2250 The manufacture of cut nails was born in our country. 1817 S. R. Brown Western Gazetteer 316 Also, more mercantile stores,..one cut nail factory. 1835 Southern Lit. Messenger 1 260 In the city..there are..two manufactories for cut nails. 1860 O. W. Holmes Professor at Breakfast-table v. 152 The cut nails of machine-divinity may be driven in, but they won't clinch. 1874 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Cut-nail, a nail cut from a nail-plate, in contradistinction to one forged from a nail-rod. 1878 Congr. Rec. 28 Jan. 612/1 An improvement nearly as important..as was the cut-nail machine in malling nails. 4. Divided into pieces by cutting. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > action of dividing or divided condition > division by cutting > [adjective] > cut into pieces ychoppidc1430 cutc1440 chopped1538 shorn1597 shared1598 dissected1634 slitted1797 junked1827 c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 111 Cutte a-sundere, scissus. 1659 R. Lovelace Poems (1864) 166 Then let me be Thy cut anatomie. 1840 F. D. Bennett Narr. Whaling Voy. II. 85 Enclosing the cut leaf in the delicate husk of the Indian-corn. 1847–78 J. O. Halliwell Dict. Archaic & Provinc. Words Cut-meat, hay; fodder; chaff cut into short lengths. North. 1893 N.E.D. at Cut Mod. A heap of cut fire-wood. 5. a. Severed or detached by cutting; lopped off. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > [adjective] > cut-off cutc1380 gird-off1382 resecate1530 resect1540 lopped1570 severed1581 c1380 Eng. Wycliffite Serm. Sel., in Wks. I. 167 A kitt braunche. 1845 Florist's Jrnl. 6 13 The unhealthiness attributed to cut flowers, when introduced into..sleeping-rooms. 1878 Emerson in N. Amer. Rev. CXXVI. 405 A show of cut flowers. b. cut and laid, of a hedge: see lay v.¹ 6b. Also elliptical, a hedge made in this manner. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > hedging > [adjective] > cut and laid cut and laid1919 the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > that which or one who closes or shuts > a barrier > [noun] > hedge or fence > a hedge > other types of hedge teen-hedge1638 counter-hedge1642 palisade-hedge1664 palisado hedge1688 beard1810 bullfinch1832 bullfincher1862 cut and laid1919 1919 J. Masefield Reynard the Fox ii. 73 Robin made Pip [sc. his horse] go crash through the cut and laid. 1927 Daily Express 31 Oct. 9 Neat-cropped grass fields split by ‘cut and laid’ fences. 6. a. Shortened, lessened, or reduced by, or as by cutting; curtailed; cut down. Of prices, etc.: reduced (originally U.S.). Hence cut-price adj., cut-rate adj. having, or offered at, reduced prices; also figurative. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > low price or rate > [adjective] > reduced cut1881 society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > low price or rate > [adjective] > reduced > offered at reduced price cut-rate1881 cut-price1897 marked-down1902 reduced1905 1646 R. Crashaw Steps to Temple 65 Short-cut lives of murdred Infants. 1881 Chicago Times 12 Mar. The New York Central..has been meeting the cut rate made via Baltimore. 1884 Pall Mall Gaz. 1 Oct. 5/2 Parliament will accept..the cutting of the coupon, but the guarantee of the cut coupon—that is altogether another affair. a1889 Boston Jrnl. (Farmer) The plain people who enjoy a spectacular, musical, and dramatic season at cut rates. 1897 Sears, Roebuck Catal. No. 104. 684 No wholesale house can meet our cut prices. 1904 Westm. Gaz. 27 May 10/2 The policy of the ‘cut-rate’ may continue. 1904 F. Lynde Grafters xiii. 163 If the cut rates should be withdrawn and the railroad activities cease. 1904 Daily Chron. 15 June 7/3 One out of every eighty of the cut-rate arrivals was ordered back to Europe. 1907 N.Y. Evening Post (semi-weekly ed.) 14 Feb. 6 The evangelist was referred to as a man who ‘stole members from other churches by offering cut rates to heaven’. a1909 ‘O. Henry’ Roads of Destiny xv. 237 A clerk in the Cut-rate Drug Store. 1910 Sat. Evening Post 10 Sept. 76/2 Tricky cut-price operators..selling below living prices. 1930 R. Simmat Personal Salesmanship 85 If a salesman once..gives a cut price he will..be always expected to give a cut price. 1934 J. B. Priestley Eng. Journey 17 A number of blatant cut-price shops, their windows crammed with goods, mostly inferior and dubious, and loud with placards. 1958 New Statesman 30 Aug. 238/3 Their decision to offer unsecured personal advances at, in effect, cut-rates. 1963 A. Ross Australia 63 19 M.C.C.'s batsmen were offered only cut-price bowling, and they savaged it accordingly. 1964 Daily Tel. 18 Jan. 8/2 Giving the consumer more of a choice between ‘quality’ and cut-rate shopping. b. Diluted; adulterated. (Cf. cut v. 22b) Chiefly U.S. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > liquid > making or becoming liquid > action or process of dilution > [adjective] > diluted allayed?a1475 lymphate1583 dilute1658 diluted1681 lew1882 watered-down1902 cut1938 the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > an intoxicating drug > [adjective] > diluted or adulterated soft1959 cut1969 1938 H. Asbury Sucker's Progress 343 Suckers..paid exorbitant prices for cut and adulterated liquor. 1969 D. Bagley Spoilers vi. 180 ‘This is morphine.’ ‘Cut or uncut?’ asked Follet. ‘It's pure—or as pure as you can make the stuff in a slum like this.’ 7. Castrated. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > infertility > [adjective] > castrated geldedc1225 cutted1438 geltc1440 chaste1526 evirate1606 castrated1609 memberless1611 unpaveda1616 libbed1616 cut1624 eunuched1627 caponed1630 untesticled1668 castrate1704 eunuch1817 emasculated1830 eunuchal1878 neuter1893 eunuchoid1894 1624 Nero (1888) iv. i. 56 Your cut-boy Sporus. 1893 N.E.D. at Cut Mod. A cut horse. 8. slang. Drunk, intoxicated. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > excess in drinking > [adjective] > drunk fordrunkenc897 drunkena1050 cup-shottenc1330 drunka1400 inebriate1497 overseenc1500 liquor1509 fou1535 nase?1536 full1554 intoxicate1554 tippled1564 intoxicated1576 pepst1577 overflown1579 whip-cat1582 pottical1586 cup-shota1593 fox-drunk1592 lion-drunk1592 nappy1592 sack-sopped1593 in drink1598 disguiseda1600 drink-drowned1600 daggeda1605 pot-shotten1604 tap-shackled1604 high1607 bumpsy1611 foxed1611 in one's cups1611 liquored1611 love-pot1611 pot-sick1611 whift1611 owl-eyed1613 fapa1616 hota1616 inebriated1615 reeling ripea1616 in one's (or the) pots1618 scratched1622 high-flown?1624 pot-shot1627 temulentive1628 ebrious1629 temulent1629 jug-bitten1630 pot-shaken1630 toxed1635 bene-bowsiea1637 swilled1637 paid1638 soaken1651 temulentious1652 flagonal1653 fuddled1656 cut1673 nazzy1673 concerned1678 whittled1694 suckey1699 well-oiled1701 tippeda1708 tow-row1709 wet1709 swash1711 strut1718 cocked1737 cockeyed1737 jagged1737 moon-eyed1737 rocky1737 soaked1737 soft1737 stewed1737 stiff1737 muckibus1756 groggy1770 muzzeda1788 muzzya1795 slewed1801 lumpy1810 lushy1811 pissed1812 blue1813 lush1819 malty1819 sprung1821 three sheets in the wind1821 obfuscated1822 moppy1823 ripe1823 mixed1825 queer1826 rosined1828 shot in the neck1830 tight1830 rummy1834 inebrious1837 mizzled1840 obflisticated1840 grogged1842 pickled1842 swizzled1843 hit under the wing1844 obfusticatedc1844 ebriate1847 pixilated1848 boozed1850 ploughed1853 squiffy?1855 buffy1858 elephant trunk1859 scammered1859 gassed1863 fly-blown1864 rotten1864 shot1864 ebriose1871 shicker1872 parlatic1877 miraculous1879 under the influence1879 ginned1881 shickered1883 boiled1886 mosy1887 to be loaded for bear(s)1888 squiffeda1890 loaded1890 oversparred1890 sozzled1892 tanked1893 orey-eyed1895 up the (also a) pole1897 woozy1897 toxic1899 polluted1900 lit-up1902 on (also upon) one's ear1903 pie-eyed1903 pifflicated1905 piped1906 spiflicated1906 jingled1908 skimished1908 tin hat1909 canned1910 pipped1911 lit1912 peloothered1914 molo1916 shick1916 zigzag1916 blotto1917 oiled-up1918 stung1919 stunned1919 bottled1922 potted1922 rotto1922 puggled1923 puggle1925 fried1926 crocked1927 fluthered1927 lubricated1927 whiffled1927 liquefied1928 steamed1929 mirackc1930 overshot1931 swacked1932 looped1934 stocious1937 whistled1938 sauced1939 mashed1942 plonked1943 stone1945 juiced1946 buzzed1952 jazzed1955 schnockered1955 honkers1957 skunked1958 bombed1959 zonked1959 bevvied1960 mokus1960 snockered1961 plotzed1962 over the limit1966 the worse for wear1966 wasted1968 wired1970 zoned1971 blasted1972 Brahms and Liszt?1972 funked up1976 trousered1977 motherless1980 tired and emotional1981 ratted1982 rat-arsed1984 wazzed1990 mullered1993 twatted1993 bollocksed1994 lashed1996 1673 R. Head Canting Acad. 171 He is flaw'd, fluster'd, Cup shot, cut in the leg or back. 1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Cut, Drunk; Deep Cut..Cut in the Leg or Back, very drunk. 1760 C. Johnstone Chrysal I. ii. i. 137 Your excellency was a little cut, but you broke up much the strongest of the company. 1823 J. G. Lockhart Reginald Dalton I. i. vii. 73 I'm sure we had not much more than a bottle a-piece..I was not cut. 1848 W. M. Thackeray Bk. Snobs xli. 160 I was so cut last night. †9. cut and long tail: literal horses or dogs with cut tails and with long tails; hence figurative all sorts of people. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > people > people collectively > [noun] > all people all the worldOE all ledea1275 more and minc1275 most and leasta1300 much and litec1330 mo and lessc1426 the whole world1530 cut and long tail1576 universal1596 general1604 universality1606 university1677 all outdoors1833 John Q.1937 1576 U. Fulwell Ars Adulandi v. f. 23 Yea, euen their verie dogs, Rug, Rig, & Risbie: yea, cut & longtaile, they shalbe welcome. ?1578 W. Patten Let. Entertainm. Killingwoorth 31 The rest of the band..tag & rag, cut & long tayl. 1602 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor iii. iv. 45 That I vill, come cut and long taile,..vnder the degree of a Squire. 1698 J. Vanbrugh Æsop iv. ii Your worship has six coach-horses (cut and long-tail,) two runners, half-a-dozen hunters. 1700 G. Farquhar Constant Couple ii. iv. 18 I whipped all the Whores Cut and Long-Tail, out of the Parish. 10. a. cut and dried (also cut and dry): originally referring to herbs in the herbalists' shops, as contrasted with growing herbs; hence, figurative ready-made and void of freshness and spontaneity; also, ready shaped according to a priori formal notions. (Usually of language, ideas, schemes or the like.) ΘΚΠ the mind > will > necessity > fate or destiny as determining events > [adjective] > fated or predestined born1357 destinablec1374 destinalc1374 fatalc1374 predestinatec1384 foreordainedc1420 ordinate?a1425 destiny?1473 preordinatea1475 prefinitec1475 pointed1523 predestined1545 determined1546 ordinated1562 predestinated1571 preordained?1580 fore-appointeda1586 predeterminate1601 predetermined1601 destinated1604 destinate1605 destined1609 predesigned1668 predefinite1678 cut and dry1710 fated1715 weirded1820 laid-down1839 foreordinated1858 predesignated1883 predestinatory1893 preset1926 predefined1929 predestine1962 bashert1963 1710 J. B. Let. to Sacheverell 13 Your Sermon was ready Cut and Dry'd. 1730 J. Swift Betty the Grizette in Poems Sets of Phrases, cut and dry, Evermore thy Tongue supply. 1796 J. Wolcot Satire in Wks. (1812) III. 408 Phrases ready cut and dried. 1883 St. James's Gaz. 1 Dec. 3/1 A Socialist, but a Socialist who has no cut-and-dry scheme of Socialism. 1887 A. Jessopp Arcady vii. 191 Quite enough to scatter my cut and dried theories to the winds. b. elliptical as noun (cut and dry) = cut and dried tobacco, etc. ΚΠ 1718 J. Arbuthnot Let. to Swift in Misc. Wks. (1751) II. 123 Isaac extolls her out of a Quartern of Cut and Dry every Day she lives. 1725 A. Ramsay Gentle Shepherd ii. i Ye've coft a pund o cut and dry. c. Hence cut-and-driedness. nonce-word. ΚΠ 1882 G. Saintsbury Short Hist. Fr. Lit. Interchapter iv. 504 The reduction of..important departments in literature to a condition of cut-and-driedness which has no parallel in history. 11. With adverbs: see cut v. Phrasal verbs. See also cutaway adj., cutout n., cut-under n. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > vessel of specific construction or shape > [adjective] > having upper decks or superstructure removed cut1809 razeed1821 1743 W. Ellis Mod. Husbandman Oct. v. 29 The great Importance of curing cut down Wheat in the Field, is..known to the meanest Rustic. 1809 Naval Chron. 22 90 The Regulus, a cut down 44. 1823 G. S. Faber Treat. Christian Dispensations II. ii. iii. 104 Like a cut-down plant. 1861 C. Dickens Great Expectations II. xvi. 255 A cut-up plum-cake. 1874 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Cut-in Notes (Printing), notes which occupy spaces taken out of the text, whose lines are shortened to give room therefor. 1932 W. Faulkner Light in August vii. 143 The small figure in cutdown underwear. 1941 J. Cary House of Children iii. 10 Wild hordes of mountain children in their father's cut-down trousers. 1949 F. Maclean Eastern Approaches ii. iii. 200 A new, cut-down Ford station waggon. Compounds C1. qualifying a noun. cut cloth n. (see quot. 1961). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > theatrical equipment or accessories > [noun] > scenery > cloth > types of sky-border1744 skydrop1854 skycloth1871 sea-cloth1883 cut cloth1884 front cloth1884 backcloth1886 backdrop1913 cyclorama1915 teaser1916 scrim1930 cut drop1961 1884 J. Hatton H. Irving's Impress. Amer. I. vii. 165 The well-known Hampton Court cloth [in ‘Charles I’] was so perfect..that it was regarded as a cut cloth, with ‘raking’ and water-pieces. 1933 P. Godfrey Back-stage xi. 143 The drop-scenes, cut-cloths, and borders..became as obsolete as the ‘aside’ in acting. 1961 W. P. Bowman & R. H. Ball Theatre Lang. 89 Cut cloth, cut-cloth, a British term for a cut drop. cut drop n. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > theatrical equipment or accessories > [noun] > scenery > cloth > types of sky-border1744 skydrop1854 skycloth1871 sea-cloth1883 cut cloth1884 front cloth1884 backcloth1886 backdrop1913 cyclorama1915 teaser1916 scrim1930 cut drop1961 1961 W. P. Bowman & R. H. Ball Theatre Lang. 90 Cut drop, a drop painted and then cut out so that the spectator sees a scene formed not only by this drop but also by whatever is placed behind it. † cut-fowl n. Obsolete = insect. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > [noun] > member of buddea1200 Bruchusa1398 cut-fowl1587 insect1601 intersect1655 beastie1820 scallop hook tip1829 hexapod1875 wog1922 1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. ix. 141 Smal things, as Woormes, Cutfoules, and such other. cut-money n. U.S. (see quot. 1822). ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > [noun] > coins cut into smaller pieces cut-money1809 1809 in W. Littell Statute Law of Kentucky (1814) IV. 45 To pay cut money into the public treasury. 1822 J. Woods Two Years' Resid. Eng. Prairie 230 We found change at these towns very scarce; what there was, was mostly cut-money; that is, when change is wanted they often cut dollars, half-dollars, and quarter-dollars, into smaller pieces with an ax or chisel. 1824 W. N. Blane Excurs. through U.S. 257 I was obliged to cut a silver dollar, into quarters, and even into eighths; a practice so common in the Western States, that the cut-money as it was called, was the only change that could be had in Missouri. cut-rock n. (see quot. 1837). ΚΠ 1837 W. Irving Adventures Capt. Bonneville II. 200 All these basaltic channels are called cut rocks by the trappers. 1851 M. Reid Scalp Hunters II. viii. 148 We found the path strewed with loose cut-rock. cut-rope n. Nautical = painter n.² ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > ropes or chains other than rigging or cable > [noun] > for securing vessel > painter boat rope1336 seizing1336 tether?1504 painter1699 cut-rope1909 putty1927 1909 Westm. Gaz. 3 July 2/2 The cut-rope [painter] of an old boat is apt to be very rotten. 1909 Westm. Gaz. 21 Aug. 2/2 Benjie ran into the water for the cut-rope. cut sheet n. (also cut sheet rubber) rubber cut into sheets from a pressed block. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > rubber > [noun] > in specific form rubber sheet1842 rubber band1849 cut sheet1900 sheet1900 crêpe rubber1907 smoked sheet1909 twist1909 air foam1937 foam1937 1900 W. T. Brannt India Rubber, Gutta-percha & Balata ii. 103 The manufacture of fine cut sheet was invented by Charles Macintosh. 1907 H. L. Terry India-rubber xii. 161 Cut sheet rubber. C2. Similar combinations used attributively. cut-finger adj. ΚΠ 1883 R. Jefferies Nature near London 44 [They] call the foliage of the knotted figwort cutfinger leaves, as they are believed to assist the cure of a cut or sore. cut-flower adj. ΚΠ 1902 Westm. Gaz. 4 Apr. 8/1 The cut-flower trade. 1970 W. E. Shewell-Cooper Cut Flowers for House i. 9 The keen cut-flower gardener should expect to have blooms and foliage from his garden from March to October at least. cut-glass adj. (see 3a.) cut-leaf adj. ΚΠ 1897 G. B. Sudworth Nomencl. Arborescent Flora U.S. 261 Robinia pseudacacia dissecta..Cutleaf Locust. 1923 E. F. Wyatt Invisible Gods 16 Mountain ash and cut-leaf birch flickered their light foliage. cut-paper adj. (see 3c.) cut-pile adj. ΚΠ 1880 E. J. Reed Japan II. 223 Silk and cut-pile fabrics. cut-steel n. and adj. ΚΠ 1748 T. Smollett Roderick Random II. xliv. 79 A fourth [sword] cut steel inlaid with gold. 1896 Westm. Gaz. 10 Dec. 3/2 A cut-steel buckle. 1925 W. de la Mare Connoisseur (1926) 334 The cut-steel brooch of coloured gems. cut-stone adj. (see sense 3a). ΚΠ 1836 Knickerbocker Mag. 8 193 A depth of eight feet and width of ninety feet, with cut-stone locks. 1882 Econ. Geol. Illinois II. 57 All the principal limestone formations in this county afford good building stone..and some of them afford a superior article, suitable for cut-stone work. cut-tail n. and adj. (also = ‘cut-tail dog’) ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Canidae > dog > [noun] > parts of > dog defined by cut-tail1530 long-tail1576 bob-tail1676 stump-tail1868 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 211/2 Cuttayled beest, queve courte. 1627 M. Drayton Shepheards Sirena in Battaile Agincourt 143 His gamesome cut-tayld Curre. 1627 M. Drayton Shepheards Sirena in Battaile Agincourt 152 Whistles Cut-tayle from his play. C3. Categories » cut bastion n. Fortification a bastion with its salient angle cut off and replaced by an inward angle. cut-card n. applied to a type of relief decoration on silverware, etc., in which a thin sheet of metal is cut ornamentally and soldered to the surface. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > artistic work in metal > [adjective] > relating to gold or silver articles > types of decoration on silver writhen1450 frost-worked1710 cut-card1920 1920 Catal. Eng. Silversmiths' Work (V. & A. Mus.) 18 Another method of decoration was that known as ‘cut-card’ work, the decoration being cut out from a separate sheet of metal. 1939 Oxoniensia 4 201 A candle-cup, of 1672, with fine ‘cut-card’ decoration. 1956 G. Taylor Silver v. 135 The Parisian goldsmiths..effected a monumental elegance..due to an admirable harmony... Perhaps the most attractive..is cut-card work, a term used to describe flat patterns of sheet metal applied to the body of the object to be decorated. 1969 R. Mayer Dict. Art Terms & Techniques 103 Cut-card work, a decorative technique in metalwork in which a design cut out of a sheet of metal is superimposed on the surface of an object of the same metal, usually around a protuberance such as a handle or a finial. Cut-card work is used almost exclusively for silver. † cut mallow n. Obsolete the vervain mallow, Malva alcea. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Malvaceae (mallows and allies) > [noun] hockc725 malloweOE crisp mallowa1300 altheaa1398 mawa1400 maula1425 alceac1440 malva1527 vervain mallow1548 cut mallow1565 dwarf mallow1578 curled mallow1620 musk1728 Sida1753 curled-leaved mallow1754 marshmallow1814 round dock1825 mallow wort1845 crisped-leaved mallow1846 Modiola1856 velvet-leaf1856 fairy cheeses1869 pancakes1882 frog cheese1886 musk plant1898 1565–73 T. Cooper Thesaurus Alcea..marsh mallow: or cut mallow. 1591 R. Percyvall Bibliotheca Hispanica Dict. at Malvavisco salvage Cut mallowes. cut sheet n. India-rubber cut into sheets from a pressed block. ΚΠ 1907 H. L. Terry India-rubber xii. 162 A good deal of English cut sheet goes to Paris. 1910 Seeligmann's Indiarubber (ed. 2) 146 The great use of blocked rubber consists in the manufacture of cut sheet and English sheet. 1923 B. D. W. Luff Chem. Rubber 17 This ‘cut sheet’, as it was and still is called, was adapted to many purposes, surgical appliances, tubing and overshoes being made at an early date. C4. Parasynthetic derivatives of these. See also cut-lips n., cut-waist n., etc. cut-fingered adj. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for hands > [adjective] > types of gloves cut-fingered1591 prick-seamed1624 right-handed1700 fingered1739 gauntleted1810 tilbury'd1901 ambidextrous1919 the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > shoe or boot > [adjective] > cut or slashed decopedc1400 cut-fingered1591 raised1688 1591 T. Nashe in Sir P. Sidney Astrophel & Stella Introd. 'Tis as good to go in cut-fingered pumps as cork shoes, if one wear Cornish diamonds on his toes. cut-leaved adj. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > part of plant > leaf > plant defined by leaves > [adjective] > having leaves of particular shape or size broad-leaved1552 long-leaved1562 narrow-leaved1578 round-leaved1597 small-leaved1597 long-leafed1629 rosemary-leaved1633 rue-leaved1633 teretifolious1657 cut-leaved1731 longleaf1733 channel-leaved1758 halberd-shaped1770 alder-leaved1772 oak-leaved1776 holly-leaved1777 ivy-leaved1789 halberd-headed1795 daisy-leaved1796 narrow-leaf1804 oblique-leaved1807 sword-leaved1807 wing-leaved1822 flaggy1842 curly1845 macrophyllous1857 parvifolious1857 shield-leaved1860 curled1861 symphyllous1877 beak-leaved188. stenophyllous1880 thread-leaved1884 megaphyllous1901 little leaf1908 ivy-leaf1909 the world > plants > part of plant > leaf > [adjective] > compound or lobed cut1565 winged1668 pinnate1687 conjugated1690 trifoliated1698 auriculated1712 auriculate1714 pennate1723 pinnated1725 pennated1727 bigeminate1753 lyrated1753 pedated1753 pinnatifid1753 supradecomposite1753 supradecompound1753 ternated1753 trifoliate1753 lyrate1760 pedate1760 quinate1760 ternate1760 tripinnate1760 palmed1767 bilobated1770 lyre-shaped1778 pennatifid1778 finger-parted1783 superdecompound1783 bipinnate1785 biternate1785 conjugate1785 lobed1787 tergeminate1793 wing-cleft1796 yoked?1803 binate1807 septenate1807 trijugous1813 auricled1821 pinniform1821 multijugous1828 pinnulate1828 trifoliolate1828 bipinnatifid1830 multifoliolate1831 multijugate1831 quinquefoliolate1832 bifoliolate1835 pinnatisected1837 palmatifid1839 tripinnatifid1839 foliate1840 palmatipartite1840 pinnatilobate1840 pinnatipartite1840 pinnatisect1840 bipinnated1842 biconjugate1847 imparipinnate1847 paripinnate1851 pinnatulate1855 polytomous1856 multifoliate1857 pennati-partite1857 pennati-sected1857 ternato-pinnate1857 tripinnatisect1857 patentoternate1859 septemfoliate1859 bipinnatipartite1861 bipinnatisected1861 bipalmate1864 pinnatilobed1866 septenous1866 cut-leaved1870 lobing1870 ternatisect1870 tripinnated1876 trijugate1880 jugate1887 pinnulated1890 trisect1899 tridigitate1900 trigeminous1900 1731 P. Miller Gardeners Dict. I. at Lilac Lilac, with cut Leaves, falsely call'd, The Cut-leav'd Persian Jasmine... The Cut-leav'd Sort..having its older Leaves deeply cut in. 1870 J. D. Hooker Student's Flora Brit. Islands 174 The ‘Cut-leaved Elder’. cut-lugged adj. (Sc. = crop-eared) ΚΠ 1814 W. Scott Waverley II. vii. 122 Ye cut-lugged graning carles. View more context for this quotation cut-nosed adj. (= slit-nosed) ΚΠ 1591 R. Percyvall Bibliotheca Hispanica Dict. at Desnarigado Cut nosed. cut-tailed adj. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > animal body > general parts > rump and tail > [adjective] > relating to the tail > having a tail > having tail cut short curtailed1591 bob-tailed1640 crop-tailed1689 cut-tailed1712 dock-tail1785 dock-tailed1824 1712 London Gaz. No. 4997/4 A Bay Mare..cut Tail'd. C5. In sports contexts. cut-lob n. ΚΠ 1907 P. A. Vaile Mod. Lawn Tennis 87 A cut lob should drop straighter than a lifted one. cut-drive n. ΚΠ 1908 Westm. Gaz. 27 June 11/2 The latter's cut-drives and crisp volleying proved more than usually effective. cut-chopping n. ΚΠ 1927 Daily Express 11 June 13/5 The ‘cut-chopping’ by Miss Ryan was fierce and fast in the first set. Draft additions December 2006 cut lunch n. Australian and New Zealand a packed lunch, typically consisting of sandwiches. ΚΠ 1937 Bulletin (Sydney) 30 June 21/1 Three hours' paddock work to develop an appetite for a ‘cut’ lunch eaten on the job. 1983 K. Francis Wildlife Ranger 2 The midday meal was more often a cut lunch eaten on the job. 2004 T. McKinley Undercurrents ix. 81 Olivia asked Lila for a cut lunch, so reckon they've made a day of it. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online June 2022). cutv. Brit. /kʌt/, U.S. /kət/ Forms: Middle English cute, Middle English kot, kuytte, Middle English kut, kutt(e, kytt(e, kitt(e, Middle English kette, cytte, Middle English–1500s kyt, kit, Middle English–1600s cutt(e, 1500s– cut. past tense Middle English cutt(e, Middle English– cut; also Middle English kut, kit, citte, Middle English kutte, kytte, kitte, Middle English kyt; β. Middle English kittide, kottede, Middle English cutted, (plural) kuttiden, 1500s Scottish cuttit. past participle Middle English kit, kitt(e, ikett, Middle English kut, kutt(e, y-kyt(t, Middle English–1500s cutte, Middle English–1600s cutt, Middle English y-kitt, ykette, Middle English–1500s kyt, Middle English– cut; β. Middle English kytted, kittid, Middle English–1500s cuttid, Middle English–1600s (1800s dialect) cutted, Middle English cuttyd, cuttede, 1500s Scottish cuttit. Etymology: Found in end of 13th cent., and in common use since the 14th cent., being the proper word for the action in question, for which Old English used sníðan , ceorfan . The phonology is doubtful; the early variants cutte , kitte , kette , with past participle cut , kyt , kit , kett , are parallel to the early variants of shut v., Old English scyttan, and point to cyttan, kytten* ( < cutian) as the original form, an earlier y/y/, having here, as in shut* and other words, given later u now /ʌ/). The word is not recorded in Old English (nor in any West Germanic dialect), and there is no corresponding verb in Romance. Modern Norwegian kutte = skjære to cut (chiefly used by sailors) is certainly adopted < English; but a verb kåta, (kutå) = skära, hugga to cut, is widely diffused in Swedish dialects, and apparently an old word, from an Old Germanic stem kut-, kot-, which is probably the source also of the English verb, whatever the intermediate history of the latter. A conjectured derivation of cut from Welsh cwta ‘short’ is in the opinion of Prof. Rhŷs quite untenable. Neither cwta nor any of its derivatives have any relation whatever to the use of a knife or other cutting instrument; while the South Wales cwt = cut, gash, e.g. in the hand, is a mere adoption of the English noun. I. To make incision in or into. 1. a. transitive. To penetrate with an edged instrument which severs the continuity of the substance; to wound or injure with a sharp-edged instrument; to make incision in; to gash, slash. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > cutting > cut [verb (transitive)] snithec725 carvec1000 cutc1275 slitc1275 hag1294 ritc1300 chop1362 slash1382 cut and carvea1398 flash?a1400 flish?a1400 slenda1400 race?a1425 raise?a1425 razea1425 scotch?c1425 ochec1440 slitec1450 ranch?a1525 scorchc1550 scalp1552 mincea1560 rash?1565 beslash1581 fent1589 engrave1590 nick1592 snip1593 carbonado1596 rescide1598 skice1600 entail1601 chip1609 wriggle1612 insecate1623 carbonate1629 carbonade1634 insecta1652 flick1676 sneg1718 snick1728 slot1747 sneck1817 tame1847 bite- the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > injure [verb (transitive)] > wound > cut wound?c1225 cutc1275 entamec1330 slash1382 grushc1420 begash1555 gash1562 entrench1590 c1275 Laȝamon Brut 30581 He cutte [1205 nom] his owe þeh.. þar of he makede breade [= roast]. c1330 Arth. & Merl. 392 Ther was mani throte y-kitt. a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Isa. xxxvii. 1 He kutte [a1425 to rente] his clothis, and wrappid is with a sac. c1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode (1869) 122 At the laste he kitte his owen throte. c1503 R. Arnold Chron. f. lxiij/1 Kyt it wyth a knyf and late it be opened. 1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. cvii Cutte me, burne me, launce me. 1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 196 The ordinary tricke of cutting and slashing their skin. 1694 W. Congreve Double-dealer i. i. 8 Cut a Diamond with a Diamond. 1779 Gentleman's Mag. 49 466 No lives were lost in the riot, though one or two of the country people were cut. 1809 S. Cooper Dict. Pract. Surg. 458 He [Cheselden] cut another part of the bladder. 1885 Truth 11 June 921/1 A detective..cut the boy's head open by knocking it against a lamp-post. 1893 N.E.D. at Cut Mod. Who has cut the table-cloth? b. Predicated also of the edged instrument or material (a knife, glass, etc.); also transferred of keen cold wind, frost, or the like. Π 1738 J. Swift Compl. Coll. Genteel Conversat. 198 Sharp's the Word with her; Diamonds cut Diamonds. 2. absol. or intransitive. a. To make incision. With various prepositions as in, through, etc., or with adverbial or adjectival complement. Π 1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice iv. i. 277 For if the Iew doe cut but deepe enough, Ile pay it instantly with all my hart. View more context for this quotation 1691 J. Evelyn Kalendarium Hortense (ed. 8) 14 Cut close to the Stem. 1809 S. Cooper Dict. Pract. Surg. 457 Cheselden thought it unnecessary to cut on the groove of the staff. 1833 A. W. Fonblanque Eng. under Seven Admin. (1837) II. 319 [The late Parliament] excised the cancer, and it did not cut deep enough. 1861 J. S. Mill Utilitarianism (1862) 84 Any attempt on their part to cut finer. b. Said of the instrument; also transferred and figurative. to cut both (or two) ways, to have a double or mixed effect; to have both favourable and unfavourable aspects or implications. ΘΠ the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > cutting > cut [verb (intransitive)] carve?c1225 rivec1275 shearc1275 cutc1400 racea1413 incise?1541 slash1548 slive1558 hackle1577 haggle1577 slice1606 snipa1680 chip1844 bite1849 the world > existence and causation > causation > effect, result, or consequence > consequently or as a result [phrase] > have a mixed effect to cut both (or two) waysc1400 the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > contrary evidence > lack evidence [phrase] > of evidence: be ambivalent to cut both (or two) waysc1400 c1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. (MS. B.) 32 Cold matere streyneþ, drye matere kutteþ. c1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. (MS. A.) 127 & þis schave schal kutte on þe side þat foldiþ ynward & it schal be blunt on þe oon side þat is outward. a1633 G. Herbert Outlandish Prov. (1640) sig. D6^v The tongue is not steele, yet it cuts. ?1706 E. Hickeringill Priest-craft: 2nd Pt. Pref. sig. A3^v Fame, like a two-edg'd Sword, does cut both ways. 1732 G. Berkeley Alciphron II. vi. viii. 29 Edged tools are in general designed to cut. 1830 T. P. Thompson in Westm. Rev. July 243 Whether the razor did or did not cut well. 1854 J. C. Rutter Let. 23 May in M. Lutyens Millais & Ruskins (1967) 192 What you state about the Woman's Brain..might cut both ways..might not the irritant arise from want of consummation? 1866 J. Martineau Ess. Philos. & Theol. 1st Ser. 196 The charge..is double-edged, and cuts both ways. 1935 Discovery Oct. 313/1 Clever arguments cut two ways. c. With complement (preposition, adverb, or adjective). Π 1713 J. Addison Cato i. vi Tormenting thought! it cuts into my soul. 1809 Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 25 Mar. 421 The argument..cuts deeper against him than for him. 1888 H. R. Haggard Col. Quaritch I. i. 7 The bullet cut through his enemy. d. intransitive in passive sense. To suffer incision, admit of being cut: see 13. 3. To strike sharply with a whip, a thin stick or the like; to lash. Also said of the whip, etc. transitive and absol. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of striking with specific blunt weapon > strike with specific blunt weapon [verb (transitive)] mellc1440 wapper1481 bebat1565 rib-roast1570 batonc1580 flail1582 club1593 bastonate1596 cudgel1598 rib-baste1598 shrub1599 truncheon1600 cut1607 scutch1611 macea1634 batoon1683 towel1705 quarterstaff1709 pole1728 handspike1836 blackjack1847 bludgeon1868 sandbag1887 cosh1922 sap1926 pistol-whip1930 knuckle-dust1962 the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > strike with specific thing [verb (transitive)] > strike with an object > with something pliant yarka1529 jerk1550 whissa1578 cut1607 scutch1611 slash1660 lashc1694 whip1699 switch1832 1607 T. Dekker & J. Webster West-ward Hoe v. sig. G2^v I cut hym ouer the thumbs thus: why sir Fabian Scarcrow did I incense my husband to lend you [etc.]. 1765 Ann. Reg. 278 In rugged ways, the reins and steeds Alone the skilful driver heeds, Nor stays to cut behind. 1872 W. Black Strange Adventures Phaeton xix. 275 He cut at..the hedges with his stick. 1877 H. Smart Play or Pay i. 19 Fetch me a pair of spurs and a whip that will cut. 4. Fencing, etc. (intransitive) To make a cut or slashing stroke: see cut n.² 2b. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > fencing > fence [verb (intransitive)] > actions traversea1470 to hold one's handa1500 flourish1552 lock1579 to come in1594 retire1594 pass1595 recover1600 redouble1640 allonge1652 caveat1652 parry1671 disengage1684 overlap1692 volt1692 tierce1765 whip1771 wrench1771 lunge1809 salute1809 riposte1823 cut1833 quart1833 repost1848 remise1889 1833 Regulations Instr. Cavalry i. iv. 141/1 Recovering the sword ready to cut to the rear. 1833 Regulations Instr. Cavalry i. iv. 142 Raise the hand prepared to cut ‘One’. 1893 N.E.D. at Cut Mod. One of the dragoons cut at him. 5. figurative (transitive). To wound deeply the feelings of; to distress greatly. Now chiefly in to cut to the heart. (Cf. to cut up at Phrasal verbs; cutting adj.) ΘΠ the mind > emotion > suffering > mental anguish or torment > cause of mental anguish or torment > cause anguish to or torment [verb (transitive)] quelmeOE eatc1000 martyrOE fretc1175 woundc1175 to-fret?c1225 gnawc1230 to-traya1250 torment1297 renda1333 anguish1340 grindc1350 wringc1374 debreakc1384 ofpinec1390 rivea1400 urn1488 reboil1528 whip1530 cruciate1532 pinch1548 spur-galla1555 agonize1570 rack1576 cut1582 excruciate1590 scorchc1595 discruciate1596 butcher1597 split1597 torture1598 lacerate1600 harrow1603 hell1614 to eat upa1616 arrow1628 martyrize1652 percruciate1656 tear1666 crucify1702 flay1782 wrench1798 kill1800 to cut up1843 1582 Bible (Rheims) Acts v. 33 When they had heard these things, it cut them to the hart. c1680 W. Beveridge Serm. (1729) II. 4 Every word in it will cut them to the heart. 1688 S. Penton Guardian's Instr. 75 Never..upbraid him with his Follies before Strangers; this may cut him too much, and never be forgotten. 1782 F. Burney Cecilia II. iv. i. 134 He says something so sorrowful that it cuts us to the soul! 1805 C. Lamb Let. 10 Nov. in Lett. C. & M. A. Lamb (1976) II. 189 I have been very much cut about it indeed. a1871 T. Carlyle in J. W. Carlyle Lett. & Memorials (1883) III. 243 Often enough had it cut me to the heart to think what she was suffering. †6. figurative. To rebuke severely, to upbraid. Obsolete. ΘΠ the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > rebuke or reproof > rebuke or reprove [verb (transitive)] > severely dressc1405 wipe1523 to take up1530 whip1530 to shake upa1556 trounce1607 castigatea1616 lasha1616 objurgate1616 thunderstrike1638 snub1672 drape1683 cut1737 rowa1798 score1812 to dress down1823 to pitch into ——1823 wig1829 to row (a person) up1838 to catch or get Jesse1839 slate1840 drop1853 to drop (down) to or on (to)1859 to give (a person) rats1862 to jump upon1868 to give (a person) fits1871 to give it to someone (pretty) stiff1880 lambaste1886 ruck1899 bollock1901 bawl1903 scrub1911 burn1914 to hang, draw, and quarter1930 to tear a strip off1940 to tear (someone) off a strip1940 brass1943 rocket1948 bitch1952 tee1955 fan- 1737 W. Whiston tr. Josephus Antiq. Jews ii. vi, in tr. Josephus Genuine Wks. 45 Reubel also was large in cutting them upon this occasion. II. To make incision through. 7. a. transitive. To divide into two or more parts with a sharp-edged instrument; to sever. Used simply of cord, string, and the like, and of bread, wood, or other articles cut for use. Const. in two (†a-two), asunder, etc.; in, into parts or pieces; also with adjective complement. Cf. to cut up, to cut down at Phrasal verbs. ΘΠ the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > action of dividing or divided condition > division by cutting > divide by cutting [verb (transitive)] cutc1300 shed13.. tamec1400 to-carvec1400 discidea1513 share?1566 shred?1566 dissect1608 slit1638 disecta1690 sned1889 c1300 K. Alis. 2709 Mony hed atwo y-kyt. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 165 Sche..kutte þe hyde into a þong þat was ful long and ful smal. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 16554 (MED) Þei..cut þis tre in two. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 8875 Wiþ ax he walde haue kut hit [sc. the tree] þan. c1430 Freemasonry (1844) 735 (Mätz.) Kette thy bred al at thy mete Rigth as hyt may be ther yete. c1430 Two Cookery-bks. 21 Take clowes and kutte hem. 1490 W. Caxton tr. Foure Sonnes of Aymon (1885) i. 56 He cutted hym asonder. a1542 T. Wyatt Coll. Poems (1969) ccxxviii. 8 With his fatall knif the thrid for to kitt. 1653 H. Cogan tr. F. M. Pinto Voy. & Adventures xix. 67 Cutting her cables..and sailing away with all the speed he could. 1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 371 The Dutch way of cutting and eating asparagus. b. figurative. To sever, divide (a connection, association, etc.). Π 1625 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 156 It [sc. Friendship] redoubleth Ioyes, and cutteth Griefes in Halfes. 1671 J. Dryden Evening's Love iv. 70 'Tis well there was no love betwixt us; for they [your scissars] had been too dull to cut it. 1876 E. Jenkins Blot on Queen's Head 13 The innkeeper..is a fool if he suddenly cuts the associations which endear it to all his customers. c. to cut to (or in) pieces: (figurative) to rout in battle with great slaughter. ΘΠ society > armed hostility > victory > make victorious [verb (transitive)] > conquer or overcome overcomeeOE shendc893 awinc1000 overwinOE overheaveOE to lay downa1225 mate?c1225 discomfitc1230 win1297 dauntc1300 cumber1303 scomfit1303 fenkc1320 to bear downc1330 confoundc1330 confusec1330 to do, put arrear1330 oversetc1330 vanquishc1330 conquerc1374 overthrowc1375 oppressc1380 outfighta1382 to put downa1382 discomfortc1384 threshc1384 vencuea1400 depressc1400 venque?1402 ding?a1425 cumrayc1425 to put to (also at, unto) the (also one's) worsec1425 to bring or put to (or unto) utterance1430 distrussc1430 supprisec1440 ascomfita1450 to do stress?c1450 victorya1470 to make (win) a conquest1477 convanquish1483 conquest1485 defeat1485 oversailc1485 conques1488 discomfish1488 fulyie1488 distress1489 overpress1489 cravent1490 utter?1533 to give (a person) the overthrow1536 debel1542 convince1548 foil1548 out-war1548 profligate1548 proflige?c1550 expugnate1568 expugn1570 victor1576 dismay1596 damnify1598 triumph1605 convict1607 overman1609 thrash1609 beat1611 debellate1611 import1624 to cut to (or in) pieces1632 maitrise1636 worst1636 forcea1641 outfight1650 outgeneral1767 to cut up1803 smash1813 slosh1890 ream1918 hammer1948 1632 J. Hayward tr. G. F. Biondi Eromena 79 The foote were cut all to pieces. 1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall III. 235 [He] surprised and cut in pieces, a considerable body of Goths. 1838 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece (new ed.) II. 347 The Theban cavalry..suddenly fell upon them, cut to pieces six hundred, and drove them into the hills. d. slang. To divide or share (spoils, profits, etc.); to receive (a share). Also intransitive. Cf. cut n.² 24d. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > giving > distributing or dealing out > distribute or deal out [verb (intransitive)] > divide and share > and each take a portion share1597 split1674 cut1928 the mind > possession > giving > distributing or dealing out > distribute or deal out [verb (transitive)] > divide into shares > divide and share out dealc1000 shiftc1000 to-partc1325 partc1330 departa1340 divide1377 portion?a1400 dressc1410 parcel1416 skiftc1420 describe1535 repart1540 sever1548 disparklea1552 enterparten1556 share1577 to share out1583 repartitec1603 dispart1629 parcena1641 cavel1652 partage1660 split1674 snack1675 partition1740 scantle1749 appart1798 whack1819 divvy1877 number1887 cut1928 1928 E. Wallace Again Three Just Men x. 216 It was wicked..that anybody should have so much money if he could not ‘cut’ his share. 1932 E. Wallace When Gangs came to London xxviii. 278 ‘The other fellows’ had refused to ‘cut’. 8. a. spec. To carve (meat); also absol. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation for table or cooking > preparation of meat > dress animals for food [verb (transitive)] > carve shearc1330 unlacec1400 smitea1500 carve1529 to cut up1574 cuta1616 a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) i. iii. 117 And. Faith, I can cut a caper. To. And I can cut the Mutton too't. View more context for this quotation 1738 J. Swift Compl. Coll. Genteel Conversat. 121 Don't cut like a Mother-in-Law, but send me a large Slice. 1888 H. R. Haggard Col. Quaritch x Ida allowed Mr. Quest to cut her some cold boiled beef. b. (slang or colloquial) to cut it too fat: to ‘come it strong’, overdo a thing. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > sufficient quantity, amount, or degree > excessive amount or degree > be excessive [verb (intransitive)] overdoa1325 exceed1488 to pass, be above or beyond, God's forbodec1540 overreacha1568 overlaunch1579 overact1611 overboil1611 to overstep the mark (also line)1827 to cut it too fat1836 to break bounds1856 1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 1st Ser. I. 143 Gentlemen, in alarming waistcoats and steel watch-guards..‘cutting it uncommon fat!’ 1853 G. W. Curtis Potiphar Papers iii. 131 But to have a philosopher of the Sennaar school show you why you are so, is cutting it rather too fat. c. to cut fine: see fine adv. 4. 9. a. To make a narrow opening through (a dyke, etc.), or through the bank of (a canal), so as to let the water escape. ΘΠ the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > stream > [verb (transitive)] > lead or extend a watercourse or channel > cut out a channel cut1590 channel1816 1590 [implied in: E. Webbe Rare & Wonderfull Things (new ed.) 21 There we staide to see the cutting or parting of the Riuer of Nilo..vpon the 25 of August. (at cutting n. 1)]. 1677 London Gaz. No. 1232/3 Report said the French..had cut the Canal. 1710 London Gaz. 4582/1 Orders are..given for cutting the Scarpe at Bioche..in order to draw off the Water..into the adjacent Marshes. 1831 Visct. Palmerston Let. 23 Aug. in H. L. Bulwer Life Palmerston (1870) II. 117 This extensive inundation was carried into effect by cutting the great sea-dykes. b. Mining. To intersect (a vein of ore). ΚΠ 1778 W. Pryce Mineralogia Cornubiensis 319 Cut, to intersect a vein, branch, or lode by driving horizontally or sinking perpendicularly. 1881 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Engineers 1880–1 9 125 Cut, to intersect a vein or working. c. with through. Π 1883 Manch. Guardian 15 Oct. 5/7 To shorten the course of the river..by cutting through the neck of the low land opposite Greenwich. d. to cut and cover: to plough so that the furrow-slice is turned over on an unploughed strip. U.S. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > breaking up land > ploughing > plough (of person) [verb (intransitive)] > methods of turning furrow to gather up1762 split1808 to cut and cover1839 back-furrow1855 1839 [see sense 52a]. 1861 Trans. Illinois State Agric. Soc. 1859–60 4 111 Mr. Mills is not in favor of any implement that ‘cuts and covers’. Col. Harris.. says that cutting and covering is practiced by some of the Scioto farmers. 10. To break up, reduce, or dissolve the viscidity of (a liquid, phlegm, etc.). ΘΠ the world > matter > liquid > making or becoming liquid > make liquid [verb (transitive)] resolvea1398 flow1413 distilc1470 flux1477 liquefy1547 cut1578 uncrud1598 illiquefact1599 resolve1604 infuse1607 egelidate1609 eliquate1621 liquidate1656 diffude1657 liquate1669 colliquate1680 solve1794 liquidize1837 fluidify1849 1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball ii. lxxv. 248 The same..cutteth or severeth the grosse humors. 1657 W. Coles Adam in Eden lxxv Hyssop..cutteth and breaketh tough Phlegme. 1698 J. Petiver in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 20 333 The Root..taken in Water corrects and cuts tough Phleagm. 1743 W. Ellis Suppl. to London & Country Brewer (ed. 2) 305 It will cut and cure a Butt of ropy Beer. 11. To separate the leaves of (a book) by cutting through the folds of the sheets with a paper knife. (More fully to cut open.) ΘΠ society > communication > book > [verb (transitive)] > cut open leaves of book cut1786 open1815 the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > open [verb (transitive)] > cut open openOE to-slita1250 undoc1440 unrip1481 to cut open1786 1786 F. Burney Diary 2 Aug. (1842) III. 42 The Queen had given me a new collection of German books..to cut open for her. 1848 W. M. Thackeray Lett. 28 July I thought I would begin to cut open a book I had bought. 1893 N.E.D. at Cut Mod. This book is not cut. I have cut a few leaves at the beginning. 12. a. To divide with an edged instrument, as an axe, saw, sickle, etc. (a natural growth) for the purpose of taking the part detached; to reap (corn), mow (grass), hew (timber), etc.This passes into branch III. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > lumbering > [verb (transitive)] > fell timber fellOE hewc1000 hewc1175 cutc1300 falla1325 stockc1440 to take down1818 droop1819 the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > cultivation of plants or crops > harvesting > harvest (a crop) [verb (transitive)] > reap or mow a crop moweOE reapeOE cutc1300 sheara1325 barb1652 demess1657 hack1681 c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 942 Al that euere shulden he nytte, Al he drow, and al he citte. c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1839) xv. 168 Whan it is ripe..than men kytten hem. 1419 in Surtees Misc. (1890) 14 Thay that has taken tham to ferme..sall kytte the herbage. 1512 Act 4 Hen. VIII c. 1 §4 It [shall] be laufull..to cutte and to hew heth in any mannes grounde. 1611 Bible (King James) 2 Chron. ii. 8 Thy servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon. View more context for this quotation 1817 W. Selwyn Abridgem. Law Nisi Prius (ed. 4) II. 1218 Until it [the crop] was cut and carried away. b. The object may be unexpressed, or may be the ground on which the crop grows. Π 1789 Trans. Soc. Arts (ed. 2) 2 73 I cut one perch of ground..the produce of which weighed five hundred and one pounds. 1876 J. Saunders Lion in Path i The more distant meadows are cut. 1892 Sporting & Dram. News 14 May 328/2 The mowers have commenced ‘cutting’ at the earliest streak of daylight. 13. a. intransitive (in passive sense). To suffer incision, to get cut; to admit of being cut; to turn out of a specified quality on being cut. ΘΠ the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > cutting > cut [verb (intransitive)] > be cut cut1560 1560 Nice Wanton in W. C. Hazlitt Dodsley's Sel. Coll. Old Eng. Plays (1874) II. 172 I will make your knave's flesh cut. 1642 T. Fuller Holy State iii. xxiii. 218 None could come near to feel his estate; it might therefore cut fatter in his purse. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Alabaster Alabaster cuts very smooth and easy. 1834 T. Medwin Angler in Wales II. 138 The trout..cut red. 1839 T. De Quincey Dinner in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Dec. 822/2 Who would think that a nonentity could cut up into so many somethings? 1882 G. S. Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 157 Chain..is not so liable to cut against rocks. 1893 N.E.D. at Cut Mod. The cloth does not cut to advantage. b. To yield when cut or shorn (as sheep). Also of land, to yield as a crop.With adverb complement passing into simple object. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > land raising crops > [verb (intransitive)] > yield a crop cropa1616 sprout1683 cut1754 1754 in Essex Inst. Hist. Coll. (1907) XLIII. 90 The Pasturing good..and cuts enough to keep all the stock. a1839 J. Buel Farmer's Compan. (1840) 211 One acre of good grass will cut three tons of hay, or keep a cow... Four acres of lean, poor grass will cut little more..than three tons of hay. 1854 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 15 i. 228 The Hampshiredowns..cut a heavier fleece than the Southdowns. 1858 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 19 i. 59 The half-breds cut less wool than the Shropshire Downs. 1872 1st Rep. Vermont State Board Agric. 1871–2 351 It would cut only hay enough to winter four cattle. 1923 R. D. Paine Comrades Rolling Ocean x. 169 I quit the sea for a spell to run my own place—she cuts thirty ton o' hay. III. To separate or detach with an edged tool. 14. a. transitive. To separate or remove by cutting; to sever from the main body; to lop off. With const. from or equivalent preposition, or adverb complement, as adrift; also frequently cut away, cut off, cut out. †to cut a purse: to steal it by cutting it from the girdle to which it was suspended. ΘΠ the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > cutting or stealing purses > cut or steal purses [verb (intransitive)] to cut a pursea1300 nip1567 purse1616 the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separate [verb (transitive)] > separate by force or violence > by cutting cuta1300 uncut1611 the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > detach [verb (transitive)] > cut off becarveOE carvec1000 hewc1000 shredc1275 cuta1300 chapc1325 cleavec1330 off-shearc1330 withscore1340 to cut offc1380 colea1400 slivea1400 to score awayc1400 abscisea1500 discidea1513 sharea1529 off-trenchc1530 off-hewc1540 pare1549 detrench1553 slice?1560 detrunk1566 sneck1578 resect1579 shred1580 curtail1594 off-chop1594 lop?1602 disbranch1608 abscind1610 snip1611 circumcise1613 desecate1623 discerpa1628 amputate1638 absciss1639 prescind1640 notch1820 a1300 E.E. Psalter cxviii. 39 Cute mine up-braidinge [ Wyclif 1382 Kut of my repref, 1388 Kitte awey my schen~schip]. 1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 3715 Þe lymes þat er cutted fra þe body. 1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis II. 347 Till he the mannes purs have kut. c1450 Mirour Saluacioun 2603 All the braunches of the tree shuld be kitted. ?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1871) III. 473 Thauȝhe Alexander kytte [L. absciderit] myne hede he may not sle my sawle. 1585 in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1824) II. 297 There, was a schole howse sett upp to learne younge boyes to cutt purses. 1632 J. Story tr. Short Surv. Sweden 84 Cut out of his mothers wombe. 1694 Acct. Several Late Voy. (1711) ii. 173 So cut the Fat from it by pieces. 1745 P. Thomas True Jrnl. Voy. South-Seas 175 We were obliged..to cut the Raft adrift. 1842 T. P. Thompson Exercises VI. 413 Halfpenny-worths of bread cut off the loaf. †b. = cut off at sense 14a. Obsolete. Π 1583 T. Stocker tr. Tragicall Hist. Ciuile Warres Lowe Countries i. 72 b Hee made also a bridge ouer the Maze, that he myght..cut the enemie from victuals. 1789 Triumphs of Fortitude II. 63 We cannot be cut from the privileges..of friendship. c. transferred. = to cut out 4 at Phrasal verbs. U.S. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > animal keeping practices general > herding, pasturing, or confining > [verb (transitive)] > cut out ride1790 shed1791 shoot1824 to run off1861 to cut out1862 cut1903 1903 A. Adams Log of Cowboy ii. 13 Flood had the first pick, and cut twelve bays and browns. IV. To pass through as in cutting. 15. a. transitive. To divide, separate, pierce, intersect, run into or through: expressing relative position, not motion. Also intransitive with through, etc. and to cut across (figurative). ΘΠ the world > space > relative position > fact or condition of being transverse > intersection > intersect [verb (transitive)] crossc1400 overcarvec1400 cut?a1475 intersect1615 decussate1658 decuss1782 transect1861 the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > outdoing or surpassing > outdo or surpass [verb (transitive)] > go beyond (bounds) > not recognize (boundaries) to cut across1927 ?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1869) II. 47 And from that hit [sc. Watling Street] kyttethe ouer [L. transcindit] Seuerne nye to Worcestre. a1593 C. Marlowe Tragicall Hist. Faustus (1616) sig. D^v Just through the midst runnes flowing Tybers streame, With winding bankes that cut it in two parts. 1665 T. Herbert Some Years Trav. (new ed.) 31 Places very hot..in regard the Æquinoctial cuts them. 1811 J. Pinkerton Petralogy I. 314 Serpentine mountains, which it [steatite] cuts through in small, perpendicular, or rake veins. 18.. J. G. Whittier Norembega vii Yon spire..That cuts the evening sky. 1885 Law Rep.: Queen's Bench Div. 14 919 The old part of the path which the line had cut across. 1927 A. M. Carr-Saunders & D. C. Jones Surv. Social Struct. Eng. & Wales 83 But these other associations cut across industrial, occupational, and income classifications. 1960 R. Davies Voice from Attic 38 We exist as a class which cuts across all classes. b. Geometry. Of a line (or surface): To pass through or across, to cross (a line or surface), intersect. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > geometry > line > linearize [verb (transitive)] > have contact touch1551 cut1570 to fall upon ——1570 1570 H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. i. f. 33 The two pointes, where the circumference of the circle cutteth the lines. 1660 tr. I. Barrow Euclide's Elements iii. 49 The right line FG cuts the circle FED. 1746 Tom Thumb's Trav. Eng. 114 Most of the Streets..cut one another at Right Angles. 1862 I. Todhunter Elem. Euclid i. xv If two straight lines cut one another, the vertical, or opposite, angles shall be equal. 16. †a. To cross (a line): expressing motion. Obsolete. ΘΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement over, across, through, or past > [verb (transitive)] > across overgoeOE to come overeOE to go over ——OE overcome?c1225 passc1300 overpassa1382 cross1583 traject1624 cut1634 1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 11 The last of May after a storme wee cut the Tropique of Capricorne. 1642 T. Fuller Holy State ii. xxi. 136 Then cutting the Line, they saw the face of that heaven which earth hideth from us. b. To come across, strike, hit upon (a path, etc.). esp. U.S. with trail. Also elliptical. ΚΠ 1892 Field 23 Jan. 119/1 At length we cut our spoor again, and hunted it along carefully and slowly. 1899 T. W. Hall Tales 19 One of his men dashes breathlessly in..with the exciting report that he has cut the raiders' trail. 1903 A. Adams Log of Cowboy vii. 90 If you have no authority to cut this trail then you don't cut this herd. 1903 A. Adams Log of Cowboy vii. 90 They were merely cutting (trail cutting) in the interest of the immediate locality. 17. intransitive. To cross, to pass straight through or across; esp. cut over, cut across (adv. or preposition). ΘΠ society > travel > [verb (intransitive)] > pass straight through or across cut1551 to cut over1551 cleave1655 1551 in Acts Privy Council (1891) III. 320 The Marishall..woll passe by lande to Dovour, and from thens cutt over to Bulloigne. 1576 W. Lambarde Perambulation of Kent 207 Thus haue I walked about this whole Diocoese: now therefore let me cutte ouer to Watlingstreete. 1581 J. Marbeck Bk. Notes & Common Places 163 Except the ships cut and take course even justlie betweene both, they hardlie scape drowning. 1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. xxviii. ii. 669 b Before that he cut over the streights of Gibraltar to Gades. 1610 J. Guillim Display of Heraldrie iii. ii. 88 Cutting thorow the Magelanike Straits..he encompassed the whole world. 1823 New Monthly Mag. 8 500 A few of the most active cut across to the shallows. 1858 R. S. Surtees Ask Mamma xiv. 47 They cut across the deer studded park. 18. a. transitive. To pass sharply through, cleave (the air, the water). ΘΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement over, across, through, or past > [verb (transitive)] > through > sharply cleave1558 cuta1571 harrow1582 divide1590 a1571 W. Haddon in A. Fleming Panoplie Epist. (1576) 423 Shippes..cut the waves as they are furthered with a merrie winde. 1596 E. Spenser Hymne Heauenly Loue in Fowre Hymnes 69 With nimble wings to cut the skies. 1696 N. Tate & N. Brady New Version Psalms of David viii. 8 The Fish that cuts the Seas. 1707 I. Watts Hymns & Spirited Songs i. 48 Swift as an Eagle cuts the Air. 1870 W. C. Bryant tr. Homer Iliad I. ii. 74 In his beaked galleys, swift to cut the sea. b. intransitive with through. ΘΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement over, across, through, or past > [verb (intransitive)] > through > sharply cut1609 cleave1655 knife1920 1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida i. iii. 39 Behold The strong ribbd barke through liquid mountaines cut. 1694 Acct. Several Late Voy. (1711) ii. 33 This same noise the Ships make likewise when they cut through the Sea. 1728 A. Pope Dunciad i. 168 And pond'rous slugs cut swiftly thro' the sky. 1848 W. M. Thackeray Lett. 28 July The ship cutting through the water at fifteen miles an hour. 19. slang or colloquial (intransitive) a. To run away, make off, ‘be off’. Also to cut it. (See also to cut and run at sense 41.) Originally with away, off. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going away > go away [verb (intransitive)] > go away quietly or gradually (of things) to-glidea1000 atslip?c1225 atslikec1400 to pass off1708 cut1836 silt1863 the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going away > go away [verb (intransitive)] > go away suddenly or hastily fleec825 runOE swervea1225 biwevec1275 skip1338 streekc1380 warpa1400 yerna1400 smoltc1400 stepc1460 to flee (one's) touch?1515 skirr1548 rubc1550 to make awaya1566 lope1575 scuddle1577 scoura1592 to take the start1600 to walk off1604 to break awaya1616 to make off1652 to fly off1667 scuttle1681 whew1684 scamper1687 whistle off1689 brush1699 to buy a brush1699 to take (its, etc.) wing1704 decamp1751 to take (a) French leave1751 morris1765 to rush off1794 to hop the twig1797 to run along1803 scoot1805 to take off1815 speela1818 to cut (also make, take) one's lucky1821 to make (take) tracks (for)1824 absquatulize1829 mosey1829 absquatulate1830 put1834 streak1834 vamoose1834 to put out1835 cut1836 stump it1841 scratch1843 scarper1846 to vamoose the ranch1847 hook1851 shoo1851 slide1859 to cut and run1861 get1861 skedaddle1862 bolt1864 cheese it1866 to do a bunkc1870 to wake snakes1872 bunk1877 nit1882 to pull one's freight1884 fooster1892 to get the (also to) hell out (of)1892 smoke1893 mooch1899 to fly the coop1901 skyhoot1901 shemozzle1902 to light a shuck1905 to beat it1906 pooter1907 to take a run-out powder1909 blow1912 to buzz off1914 to hop it1914 skate1915 beetle1919 scram1928 amscray1931 boogie1940 skidoo1949 bug1950 do a flit1952 to do a scarper1958 to hit, split or take the breeze1959 to do a runner1980 to be (also get, go) ghost1986 1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. vi. sig. R2^v It [sc. a boat] cut away vpon the yielding waue. 1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. i. i. 29 I feare to faint, if at the first, too faste I cut away, and make too-hastie haste. 1678 C. Cotton Scarronnides (new ed.) 90 Put on the wings that use to bear ye, And cut away to Carthage quickly. 1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 1st Ser. I. 92 The linen-draper cut off..leaving the landlord his compliments and the key. 1844 Peter Parley's Ann. 140 The door of her prison was opened, and the turnkey told her that she might ‘cut’. 1847 C. Dickens Dombey & Son (1848) xv. 156 Mr. Toodle..tapped her on the back; and said..‘Polly! cut away!’ 1858 A. Trollope Dr. Thorne I. ix. 202 Now, my lady, do you cut it, cut at once. c1867 T. W. Robertson Caste i. 7 I did get leave, and I did cut away; and while away, I was miserable. 1882 Macmillan's Mag. 46 443 I looked out of the tail of my eye, to see what she was doing, but she'd cut. 1932 A. J. Worrall Eng. Idioms 67 The prefect told the small boy to cut off. b. Hence, To move sharply, to run rapidly. With various adverbs and prepositions. Also with along, out. to cut round (U.S. colloquial): to make a display; to act in a lively, gay fashion. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > move swiftly [verb (intransitive)] lakeOE flyOE runOE scour13.. jace1393 hie1398 spina1400 fleetc1400 glentc1400 stripc1400 suea1450 carryc1450 speed1488 scud1532 streek1598 winga1616 to clip it1616 hackney1617 swifta1618 whirryc1630 dust1673 whew1684 race1702 stroke1735 cut1797 spank1807 skid1815 speela1818 crack1824 skimmer1824 slap1827 clip1832 skeet1838 marvel1841 lick1850 travel1850 rush1852 zip1852 sail1876 rabbit1887 move1906 high-tail1908 to ball the jack1914 buzz1914 shift1922 giddap1938 burn1942 hoosh1943 bomb1966 shred1977 1797 B. Hawkins Lett. (1916) 126 He was driving a wagon at the time he was taken, and they cut out and took the horses with him. 1834 S. Smith Sel. Lett. Major Jack Downing lvi. 139 What made us cut back so quick from Concord? 1834 D. Crockett Narr. Life 63 I saw a little woman streaking it along through the woods like all wrath, and so I cut on too. 1834 D. Crockett Narr. Life 65 I took my eldest brother..and cut out to her father's house to get her. a1852 F. M. Whitcher Widow Bedott Papers (1856) 91 They say she cut round and hollered and laffed and tried to be wonderful interestin'. 1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days ii. iii. 273 We all cut upstairs after the Doctor. 1859 in J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms (ed. 2) Instead of sticking to me as she used to do, she got to cuttin' round with all the young fellows, just as if she cared nothin' about me no more. 1864 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1865) I. ii. viii. 240 I'll cut back and ask for leave. 1873 W. Black Princess of Thule xiv. 219 And now the carriage cut round the corner. 1878 ‘Stonehenge’ Brit. Rural Sports (ed. 14) i. i. vii. §10. 109 The rabbits..cut in and out of the rides or runs. 1879 F. R. Stockton Rudder Grange viii. 86 [The dog] was only cuttin' round because he was so glad to get loose. 1902 E. Nesbit Five Children & It ix. 237 You'll be late for your grub!.. Then cut along home. 1932 A. J. Worrall Eng. Idioms 68 I told him to cut out and buy some tea. 1949 ‘M. Innes’ Journeying Boy ii. 25 ‘And now you'd better cut along.’ Captain Cox was a great believer in the moral effects of abrupt dismissals on the young. 1958 T. Williams Orpheus Descending iii. 88 Lady. So you're—cutting out, are you? Val. My gear's all packed. I'm catchin' the southbound bus. c. To get up behind a vehicle. U.S. ΚΠ 1848 Popular Songs 36 Another calls out ‘cut behind’. 1860 O. W. Holmes Professor at Breakfast-table viii. 245 Here is a boy that loves to..chalk doorsteps, ‘cut behind’ anything on wheels or runners [etc.]. V. To shorten or reduce by cutting. 20. transitive. To shorten or reduce by cutting off a portion; to trim, clip, shear; to prune. ΘΠ the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > longitudinal extent > shortness > make short(er) [verb (transitive)] > (as if) by cutting crop?c1225 dockc1380 cutc1385 trunk?1440 coll1483 scut1530 to cut, trim, etc. short1545 prune1565 bobtail1577 curtail1580 lop1594 decurtate1599 imp1657 truncate1727 abridge1750 bob1822 c1385 G. Chaucer Legend Good Women Dido. 973 Hire clothis cutte were un-to the kne. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 7240 Quilis he slep scho cutt his her. c1420 Pallad. on Husb. i. 127 To kytte a vyne is thinges iij to attende. c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 111 Cutte vynes, puto. 1666 A. Wood Life & Times (1892) II. 69 To my barber for cutting my haire, 6d. 1878 J. Morley Diderot I. 136 Diderot and his colleagues are cutting their wings for a flight to posterity. 21. a. figurative. To curtail, abridge, shorten, reduce; to shorten (a play, etc.) by omitting portions; = to cut short at sense 43, to cut down at Phrasal verbs. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > non-fiction > summary or epitome > summarize or abridge [verb (transitive)] > abridge by excision cut1413 1413 J. Lydgate Pilgr. of Sowle (1859) ii. xliii. 49 Glosynge, cuttynge, kouerynge, and cloutynge the lawe of Crystes gospel. 1584 King James VI & I Ess. Prentise Poesie sig. Kiij Maist kyndis of versis quhilks are not cuttit or brokin. 1865 Pall Mall Gaz. 24 July 11/1 In ‘cutting’ an opera it is not to be supposed that any two persons will agree as to what ought to be left out. 1888 Standard 14 May The market has begun to cut rates again. 1930 Publishers' Circular 5 July 5/3 Many publishers have told us they are cutting their lists. b. imperative (slang) = to cut out at Phrasal verbs (see to cut out 1 at Phrasal verbs below). Colloquial phrase cut the cackle (see cackle n. 3a). ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > ceasing > cease activity [verb (intransitive)] > leave off! or stop it! to do waya1325 stay1601 go and eat coke1669 to leave off1785 whoa1838 drop it!1843 cut1859 turn it up1867 to come off ——1896 to chuck it1901 knock it off!1902 cut it out1903 nix1903 break it down1941 to shove it1941 leave it out!1969 1859 J. C. Hotten Dict. Slang 28 Cut,..to cease doing anything. 1859 J. C. Hotten Dict. Slang 28 Cut that, be quiet, or stop. a1871 T. W. Robertson Caste i. 6 Geo. Well, then, eighteen months ago — Haw. Oh, cut that; you told me all about that. 1907 E. S. Field Six-cylinder Courtship 54 ‘My dear fellow—’ I began. ‘Cut it!’ he commanded. 1919 F. Hurst Humoresque 314 Come on, Herm, cut the comedy. It's time we were getting across to our hotel. c. To outdo, excel. Cf. senses to cut down 5 at Phrasal verbs, to cut out 6 at Phrasal verbs below. Chiefly U.S. in modern use (see quot. 1952). ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > outdoing or surpassing > outdo or surpass [verb (transitive)] overstyeOE overshinec1175 overgoc1225 passc1225 surmountc1369 forpassc1374 overmatcha1375 overpassa1382 to pass overa1393 overcomec1400 outpass?a1425 exceedc1425 precedec1425 superexcelc1429 transcendc1430 precel?a1439 outcut1447 overgrowc1475 to come over ——a1479 excel1493 overleapa1500 vanquish1533 outweigh1534 prevent1540 better1548 preferc1550 outgo1553 surpassa1555 exsuperate1559 cote1566 overtop1567 outrun1575 outstrip1579 outsail1580 overruna1586 pre-excel1587 outbid1589 outbrave1589 out-cote1589 top1590 outmatch1593 outvie1594 superate1595 surbravec1600 oversile1608 over-height1611 overstride1614 outdoa1616 outlustrea1616 outpeera1616 outstrikea1616 outrival1622 antecede1624 out-top1624 antecell1625 out-pitch1627 over-merit1629 outblazea1634 surmatch1636 overdoa1640 overact1643 outact1644 worst1646 overspana1657 outsoar1674 outdazzle1691 to cut down1713 ding1724 to cut out1738 cap1821 by-pass1848 overtower1850 pretergress1851 outray1876 outreach1879 cut1884 outperform1937 outrate1955 one-up1963 1884 Referee 13 Apr. 1/4 George's performance..is hardly likely to be disturbed for a long time to come, unless he cuts it himself. 1897 Penrith Obs. 21 Dec. (E.D.D.) He went thirteen feet t'first lowp, but I cut him bi' three inch. 1952 B. Ulanov Hist. Jazz in Amer. xxv. 351 (Gloss.) ‘Cut’ also means to best a soloist or band in competition. d. to cut a corner or corners: to pass round a corner or corners as closely as possible; figurative, to pursue an economical or easy but hazardous course of action; to act in an unorthodox manner to save time; also, to act illegally. ΘΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > proceed rapidly [verb (intransitive)] > take quick and easy course of action to cut a corner or corners1869 the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > swift movement in specific manner > move swiftly in specific manner [verb (intransitive)] > move with urgent speed > pass round corners as closely as possible to cut a corner or corners1869 1869 ‘M. Twain’ Innocents Abroad xxiii. 229 He cuts a corner so closely now and then..that I feel myself ‘scrooching’, as the children say. 1898 R. Kipling Day's Work 342 It was at this point that he began to cut corners. 1909 M. Diver Candles in Wind 57 Her husband's tendency to ‘cut corners’ when confronted with awkward facts. 1915 Cape 1 xx. 38 They turn out of side-streets at high speed, and cut corners in a dangerous manner. 1957 W. H. Whyte Organization Man 292 A disciplining force that helped them resist the temptation to cut corners. 1966 ‘S. Ransome’ Hidden Hour xii. 149 He could cut a sharp corner without letting it bother his conscience. 1966 ‘S. Woods’ Enter Certain Murderers ii. 41 If Dad had cut any corners, I think I'd have known about it. e. (Cinematography, Radio.) transitive. To edit (a film, etc.). Also intransitive, to make a quick transition from one shot to the next. imperative. A signal to stop. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > editing > edit [verb (transitive)] re-edit1785 cut1913 edit1913 to cut in1928 cheat1929 cross-cut1933 intercut1953 society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > filming > special effect > special effects [verb (transitive)] > cut cut1913 to cut back1913 society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > filming > signals to cameras [interjection] cut1937 roll1937 1913 [see to cut back 4 at Phrasal verbs]. 1916 E. W. Sargent Technique Photoplay (ed. 3) 184 You can cut to some single person who overlooks the crime and later tells the story. 1916 E. W. Sargent Techn. Photoplay (ed. 3) 191 Another effective use is cutting from a person unknowingly approaching destruction to the person who seeks to bring about the catastrophe. 1937 Amer. Speech 12 100 Cut is used by [radio] production men as an imperative to halt a rehearsal. 1938 Times 7 Jan. 13/6 In front of the [television] producer sit the sound engineer controlling total output, and the sound mixer selecting and cutting it. 1947 D. Lean in O. Blakeston Working for Films 29 The scene should be cut like this. 1953 K. Reisz Technique Film Editing iii. xiv. 240 We cut to a closer shot of Pip. 1959 Elizabethan June 26/1 When the director wants to stop the camera he calls out ‘Cut’. 1960 N. Kneale Quatermass & Pit i. 11 Cut—to the excavation. 1960 N. Kneale Quatermass & Pit i. 12 Cut—to where a spadeful of clay is being swung down from the truck. f. transitive and intransitive. To cut out (see to cut out 18 at Phrasal verbs below). ΘΠ the world > action or operation > ceasing > cease activity [verb (intransitive)] > specifically of things, actions, or processes > specifically of a machine or mechanism standc1175 to run down1665 stop1789 seize1878 to go phut1888 to cut out1910 conk1917 cut1938 trip out1940 phut1959 the world > action or operation > ceasing > cease from (an action or operation) [verb (transitive)] > cause to cease or put a stop to > cause (a thing) to cease action > specific electricity or a motor kill1886 to cut out1910 to turn off1921 cut1938 1938 E. Hemingway Fifth Column (1939) iii. ii. 88 Cut those lights! 1957 Granta 9 Mar. 19/1 Then I would lie down on my back watching them, hoping their engines wouldn't cut just then. 1958 ‘N. Shute’ Rainbow & Rose i. 34 I gave her a little throttle..and then cut it as she rolled on to the grass. 1970 D. MacKenzie Kyle Contract (1971) 12 He drove into his carport and cut the motor. 22. a. Dyeing. To reduce (a colour) to a softer shade. ΚΠ 1862 C. O'Neill Dict. Calico Printing 149/2 The colours are cut or reduced by passing the pieces in warm water containing very acid oxymuriate of tin. b. To dilute or adulterate. Chiefly U.S. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > take drugs [verb (transitive)] > dilute or adulterate drugs cut1930 the world > food and drink > drink > preparation of drinks > [verb (transitive)] > dilute or adulterate watera1387 brew1520 geld1668 to water down1866 reface1887 cut1930 the world > matter > liquid > making or becoming liquid > action or process of dilution > dilute [verb (transitive)] thinc1000 woke1377 watera1387 allayc1450 delay1543 dilute1691 lower1698 to water down1866 cut1930 1930 J. P. Burke in Amer. Mercury Dec. 455/1 We don't cut hooch any more. 1938 Amer. Speech 13 190/2 Other types of narcotics are cut. 1954 Encounter July 27/2 My wife..had a cup of coffee cut with bourbon ready for me. 1955 Times 9 Aug. 6/1 Most of the wine..when mixed or ‘cut’ with Algerian wine, provides a good deal of the ordinary vin courant. 1966 Guardian 31 Aug. 11/6 When I was 13 I knew how much quinine and sugar water you needed to cut heroin and sell it. 1967 Boston Globe 21 May 23/4 Use bleach which has been cut with water and spread on the counter tops. VI. To shape, fashion, form, or make by cutting. 23. a. To make or form by cutting (e.g. a statue, engraving, seal, jewel, etc.), to sculpture or carve (a statue or image), to engrave (a plate, seal, etc.), to fashion (a stone or jewel), to shape (garments, utensils, etc.). ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > shape or give shape to [verb (transitive)] > by or as by cutting hewc900 behewc1314 tailc1400 chisel1517 tailye1581 cut1600 nick1605 pare1708 whittle1848 nibble1987 society > occupation and work > industry > manufacturing processes > perform general or industrial manufacturing processes [verb (transitive)] > types of shaping process worka1325 strike1485 sink1526 print1530 cut1600 to work out1600 strain1674 scribe1679 stamp1798 slab1868 squirt1881 tablet1891 extrude1913 fabricate1926 society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > printmaking > engraving > engrave [verb (transitive)] cut1600 gravea1631 point1662 engrave1667 sculp1683 society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > sculpture or carving > sculpt or carve [verb (transitive)] behewc1314 entailc1394 chisel1517 to cut out1548 insculp1578 cut1600 sculpturea1684 sculp1784 sculpt1864 under-carve1904 c1500 Ballad on Money in J. O. Halliwell Nugæ Poeticæ (1844) 48 Craftysmen that be in every cyte..Sum cutte, sum shave, sume knoke, sum grave, Only money to wynne. 1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice i. i. 84 Why should a man..Sit like his grandsire, cut in Alablaster? 1623 B. Jonson in W. Shakespeare Comedies, Hist. & Trag. sig. A1^v This Figure, that thou here seest put, It was for gentle Shakespeare cut. 1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 146 Their Boots are well sewed, but ill cut. 1662 J. Evelyn Sculptura iv. 69 We have seen some few things cut in Wood by..Hans Holbein the Dane. 1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 142. ⁋5 His Seals are..exquisitely well cut. 1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 166. ⁋2 He knows perfectly well when a Coat is well cut. 1869 C. Boutell tr. J. P. Lacombe Arms & Armour x. 196 It was escalloped, or cut into some rich open-work pattern. 1887 Westm. Rev. June 340 Pointed piles, evidently cut by a metal instrument. †b. figurative. To make ready, prepare, plan; = to cut out 12 at Phrasal verbs. Obsolete. ΘΠ the mind > will > intention > planning > plan [verb (transitive)] forethinkc897 bethinka1225 compass1297 contrivec1330 ordain1340 conjectc1380 imaginec1380 cast1382 ordaina1387 advisec1400 forecast1413 imagec1450 ordainc1450 project1477 foreminda1535 invent1539 aimc1540 practise1550 plat1556 trive1573 meditate1582 patterna1586 plot1589 platform1592 design1594 chew1600 forelay1605 to map out1618 to cut out1619 agitate1629 laya1631 plod1631 cut1645 calculate1654 concert1702 to scheme out1716 plan1718 model1725 to rough out1738 to lay out1741 plan1755 prethink1760 shape1823 programme1834 pre-plan1847 encompass1882 target1948 1645 J. Howell Epistolæ Ho-elianæ v. xxxv. 39 The Sweds do notable feats in Germany, and we hope they cutting the..Bavarian so much work to do..will be an advantage. c. past participle. Formed, fashioned, shaped (as if by cutting). ΘΠ the world > space > shape > [adjective] > shaped > by or as by cutting hewnc1400 tailedc1430 cut?c1510 tailyed1589 ?c1510 tr. Newe Landes & People founde by Kynge of Portyngale sig. Dii His wingis kyt like a rasour. 1850 L. Hunt Autobiogr. II. x. 21 His skull was sharply cut and fine. 1883 S. C. Hall Retrospect Long Life II. 218 His features were finely cut [etc.]. d. Sound Recording. To record; to make (a record). Originally U.S. ΘΚΠ society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > sound recording and reproduction > make recording [verb (transitive)] phonograph1878 gramophone1908 press1918 to put on wax1932 wax1935 cut1937 tape1950 tape-record1950 audiotape1961 to lay down1967 over-record1977 1937 L. Lewis Radio Dict. in Printers' Ink Monthly Apr. 50/3 Cut a disk, to make a recording. 1948 Newsweek 19 July 38/2 Bernard Baruch cut a record of ‘Yankee Doodle’. 1958 M. White in P. Gammond Decca Bk. Jazz xviii. 221 The recording studios, where a number of very fine sides indeed were cut. 1962 Melody Maker 7 July 2 She cut five titles which will be released as part of the sound-track album of her film. 24. a. To hollow out, excavate (a hole, channel, canal, road, etc.). ΘΠ the world > space > shape > unevenness > condition or fact of receding > hollowness > make hollow [verb (transitive)] > form by hollowing out sink?a1425 to cut out1548 void?1578 cut1634 hollow1648 to work out1774 excavate1839 tunnel1856 1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 87 A streame cut through the Coronian Mountaine. 1665 T. Herbert Some Years Trav. (new ed.) 36 From Suez..where several attempts have been made to cut such a Sluice or Channel as should give Ships a navigable and free passage from the Mediterranean thither. 1682 W. Lithgow Trav. x. 479 Cutting in the middle Circle a devalling Hole. 1772 T. Simpson Compl. Vermin-killer 2 Their holes..made round as if cut with an auger. 1798 in Spirit of Public Jrnls. (1799) 2 43 The canal which is now cutting across the Isthmus of Suez. 1878 A. H. Markham Great Frozen Sea (1880) xxii. 278 The men being employed in cutting a road through the hummocks. 1887 Spectator 28 May 723/2 We do not see how the canals are to be cut. b. to cut one's way, to cut a passage: to advance by cutting through obstructions. ΘΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement over, across, through, or past > [verb (intransitive)] > through or over obstacles > by cutting shearc1275 to shave out one's way1605 to cut one's waya1616 a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) ii. ii. 16 The powres we beare with vs Will cut their passage through the force of France. View more context for this quotation 1665 T. Herbert Some Years Trav. (new ed.) 34 The Ships cut their way slowly. 1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 600 He cut his way gallantly through them, and came off safe. 25. To perform or execute (an action, gesture, or display of a grotesque, striking, or notable kind): chiefly in certain established phrases, as to cut a caper at caper n.² b, to cut a dash at dash n.¹ 10, to cut a figure at figure n. 7, to cut a joke at joke n. 1, to cut a voluntary at voluntary n. 7. Also, to cut an antic, to cut a curvet, to cut a flourish; to cut faces, to make grimaces, distort the features. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > doing > do [verb (transitive)] > something remarkable or grotesque cuta1616 the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > face with expression or expression > face with expression [verb (intransitive)] > distort fleer?a1400 mowc1450 snowrec1450 to make (also pull) a facec1522 to throw one's facea1525 pot1549 mop1567 murgeonc1586 to cut facesa1616 wrimple1657 work1753 grimace1762 mowl1837 wrinkle1843 mug1856 girn1900 a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) i. iii. 116 And. Faith, I can cut a caper. To. And I can cut the Mutton too't. View more context for this quotation 1665 C. Cotton Scarronnides 6 Wilt thou cut faces evermore For husband dead, as nail in door?1688 T. Shadwell Squire of Alsatia i. i. 3 He shall Cut a Sham or Banter with the best Wit or Poet of 'em all.1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued II. ii. 149 Like the twitchings we sometimes feel in our limbs, or habits men get of cutting faces.1811 W. Irving Life & Lett. (1864) I. xvii. 262 I cut one of my best opera flourishes.1830 Fraser's Mag. 1 457 [They] cut a curvet in the air.1835 W. Irving Tour on Prairies xxii Two of us..saw a fellow..cutting queer antics. VII. Special senses, elliptical, contextual, or technical. 26. Surgery. a. To castrate. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > infertility > infertile [verb (transitive)] > castrate or spay > castrate geldc1225 lib1396 cut1465 castrate1609 delumbate1609 enervate1610 unstone1611 gliba1616 evirate1621 emasculate1623 capon1630 eunuchize1634 eunuchate1646 caponize1654 unpollux1654 eunucha1658 unman1657 dismember1697 saturnized1846 nut1916 knacker1936 1465 in Manners & Househ. Expenses Eng. (1841) 313 Paid for xvij. kokerelles to make capons of..Item, for the kyttynge of them. 1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iii. f. 150^v The Bore pigges they cutte when they were sixe monethes old. a1643 W. Cartwright Ordinary (1651) i. ii. 4 The great Turk..did command I should be forthwith cut. 1865 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 2nd Ser. 1 ii. 253 The lamb is stronger for being cut late. b. To make an incision in the bladder for extraction of stone; also absol. to perform lithotomy. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > operations on specific parts or conditions > perform operation on specific part or condition [verb (transitive)] > operations on bladder cut1566 shear1572 lithotritize1842 lithotomize1851 1566 J. Securis Detection sig. Aiij I will not cut those that haue the stone. 1603 J. Florio tr. M. de Montaigne Ess. ii. xxxvii. 443 A Gentleman in Paris was not long since cut off the stone. 1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια Pref. That they should not cut any man for the Stone. 1782 H. Watson in Med. Communications 1 92 The patients cut in our hospitals. 1809 S. Cooper Dict. Pract. Surg. 457 Mr. Cheselden never resumed his second manner of cutting. †c. To circumcise. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > operations on specific parts or conditions > perform operation on specific part or condition [verb (transitive)] > operations on male sex organs cut1638 orchidectomize1942 vasectomize1980 1638 T. Herbert Some Yeares Trav. (rev. ed.) 236 Such an apostat rascall..is cut and marked for a Mahomitan. 27. Of horses: intransitive. To strike or bruise the inside of the fetlock with the shoe or hoof of the opposite foot. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of horses > of horse: have disorder [verb (intransitive)] > cut cut1660 the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > habits and actions of horse > [verb (intransitive)] > strike one leg against other interfere1530 overreach1590 cut1660 hitch1686 click1713 brush1868 1660 S. Fisher Rusticus ad Academicos i. 89 See..how he..interferes, and cuts one leg against another, and is not sensible of it. 1675 London Gaz. No. 1028/4 The other a bright bay..trots and gallops only, cuts a little behind. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Cutting, in the Manage, is when the Horse's Feet interfere. 1831 W. Youatt Horse xiii. 253 Some horses will cut when they are fatigued, and many colts will cut before they arrive at their full strength. 28. Nautical (absol.) To cut the cable (in order to get quickly under way). See also to cut and run at sense 41. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > berthing, mooring, or anchoring > berth, moor, or anchor [verb (intransitive)] > anchor > weigh anchor > cut cable to get away quickly to cut and run1704 cut1707 1707 London Gaz. No. 4378/3 The Enemy had escaped, having..cut and tow'd out. 1743 C. Knowles in Naval Chron. (1799) 1 107 I made the signal to cut. 1780 Ld. Rodney Let. in New Ann. Reg. 42 Ready at a moment's warning to cut or slip in order to pursue or engage the enemy. 29. Cards. (transitive and intransitive) To divide (a pack of cards); spec. to do so at random into two or more parts in order to determine the deal, prevent cheating in dealing, etc. Also, to divide cards as a means of selecting one's partner, and transferred. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > play at cards [verb (intransitive)] > actions or tactics > deal, shuffle, or cut cutc1555 swig1591 lift1599 misdeal1834 split1866 to slip the cut1879 society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > play a card [verb (transitive)] > actions or tactics > deal, shuffle, or cut cutc1555 deal1560 rob1575 shuffle1589 fuzz1753 pass1859 flitter1864 split1866 ruffle1872 make1876 trey1888 society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > play at cards [verb (intransitive)] > actions or tactics > deal, shuffle, or cut > cut to select partner cut1880 society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > play a card [verb (transitive)] > actions or tactics > deal, shuffle, or cut > cut to select partner cut1880 c1555 Manifest Detection Diceplay sig. Cviii At trump..cutting at y^e neck is a great vantage, so is cutting by a bum card (finely) vnder & ouer. a1593 C. Marlowe Massacre at Paris (c1600) sig. A6 Thou hast all the Cardes, Within thy hands to shuffle or cut. 1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 425 Shufling and cutting ones selfe a Fortune in this scambling World. 1674 C. Cotton Compl. Gamester xvi. 131 Having shuffled the Cards, the Adversary cuts them. 1750 E. Hoyle Whist (ed. 10) 159 [Rule] xv. You are to cut two Cards at the least. 1793 Sporting Mag. 1 27 The person who cuts the lowest, is entitled to the deal. 1824 Hist. Gambling 58 Dick stated that he could cut any card he chose at any time. 1878 H. H. Gibbs Game of Ombre (ed. 2) 19 His left-hand player then cuts to him, lifting and also leaving at the least three cards. 1880 H. C. Adams College Days at Oxf. 52 They cut for partners. 1937 A. Thirkell Summer Half i. 28 While they cut for partners, while they dealt,..his mind was in a turmoil. 1938 C. L. Morgan Flashing Stream iii. 221 Cut for drinks... (They throw dice on a table.) 1958 H. Phillips Penguin Hoyle 4 Before each rubber those taking part ‘cut’ for partners and choice of seats. 30. Dance. (intransitive) To spring from the ground, and, while in the air, to twiddle the feet one in front of the other alternately with great rapidity. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > dancing > movements or steps > [verb (intransitive)] > steps cut1603 heel1609 coupee1690 chassé1803 pigeon-wing1823 glissade1837 high-kicka1850 to cover the buckle1852 reverse1859 sashay1905 1603 J. Florio tr. M. de Montaigne Ess. ii. x. 238 Dances, wherein are divers changes, cuttings, turnings, and agitations of the body. 1761 C. Johnstone Chrysal (ed. 2) I. ii. xvii. 225 One of them had shewn greater agility, and cut higher, than any one. 1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 2nd Ser. 109 Out went the boots, first on one side, then on the other, then cutting, then shuffling. 1843 C. Dickens Christmas Carol ii. 62 Fezziwig ‘cut’—cut so deftly, that he appeared to wink with his legs, and came upon his feet again without a stagger. 31. In various games: a. Cricket. transitive and intransitive. To hit a length ball, a little wide of the off stump, with a bat held quite, or nearly, horizontal, by which the ball is driven to the left side of point. Also, of a cricket ball: to turn sharply after pitching; of a bowler: to make (the ball) turn sharply after pitching. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > bowling > bowl [verb (intransitive)] > motion of ball to make haste?a1475 twist?1801 cut1816 shoot1816 curl1833 hang1838 work1838 break1847 spin1851 turn1851 bump1856 bite1867 pop1871 swerve1894 to kick up1895 nip1899 swing1900 google1907 move1938 seam1960 to play (hit, etc.) across the line1961 society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > batting > bat [verb (transitive)] > hit > hit with specific stroke take1578 stop1744 nip1752 block1772 drive1773 cut1816 draw1816 tip1816 poke1836 spoon1836 mow1844 to put up1845 smother1845 sky1849 crump1850 to pick up1851 pull1851 skyrocket1851 swipe1851 to put down1860 to get away1868 smite1868 snick1871 lift1874 crack1882 smack1882 off-drive1888 snip1890 leg1892 push1893 hook1896 flick1897 on-drive1897 chop1898 glance1898 straight drive1898 cart1903 edge1904 tonk1910 sweep1920 mishook1934 middle1954 square-drive1954 tickle1963 square-cut1976 slash1977 splice1982 paddle1986 society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > batting > bat [verb (intransitive)] > types of stroke chop1776 mow1844 crump1850 poke1851 cut1857 swipe1857 glance1898 glide1899 cart1903 nibble1926 on-drive1930 slash1955 cover-drive1960 push1963 society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > bowling > bowl [verb (transitive)] > bowl in specific manner twist1816 overthrow1833 to bowl over the wicket1851 overpitch1851 bump1869 york1882 to break a ball1884 flog1884 to bowl round (or formerly outside) the wicket1887 turn1898 flick1902 curl1904 spin1904 volley1909 flight1912 to give (a ball) air1920 tweak1935 move1938 overspin1940 swing1948 bounce1960 cut1960 seam1963 dolly1985 1816 W. Lambert Instr. & Rules Cricket 15 Aided by a turn or motion of the wrist, the Ball may be made to cut or twist, after it has grounded. 1833 J. Nyren Young Cricketer's Tutor 30 Beldham would cut at such a ball with a horizontal bat.] 1833 J. Nyren Young Cricketer's Tutor 65 Peter Steward..could cut the balls very hard at the point of the bat. 1851 J. Pycroft Cricket Field vii. 150 Harry Walker, Robinson, and Saunders were the three great Cutters; and they all cut very late. 1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days ii. viii. 388 Johnson..bowls a ball almost wide to the off; the batter steps out and cuts it beautifully to where cover-point is standing very deep. 1888 R. H. Lyttelton in A. G. Steel & R. H. Lyttelton Cricket (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) ii. 62 We have never seen Shrewsbury..cut in any other way. 1960 I. Peebles Bowler's Turn 67 Geary and Macaulay cut and spun the ball at a sharp pace. b. Tennis. transitive and intransitive. To strike the ball sharply with the racket held at an angle, or with a downward motion, so as to make it revolve, by which it tends to shoot with a very slight rise on striking the ground. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > lawn tennis > play tennis [verb (intransitive)] > types of stroke volley1819 cut1875 to kill a ball1883 press1897 undercut1926 dink1939 moonball1982 softball1982 society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > lawn tennis > play tennis [verb (transitive)] > strike ball in specific way cut1875 volley1875 smash1882 lob1889 block1895 overhit1919 softball1927 1875 ‘Stonehenge’ Man. Brit. Rural Sports (ed. 12) iii. i. v. 691/2 The ball after contact with the ground has a tendency to shoot with a very slight rise in comparison with a ball that is not cut. 1875 ‘Stonehenge’ Man. Brit. Rural Sports (ed. 12) iii. i. v. 691/2 If the ball is purely cut, stand well back from it. c. Croquet. transitive. To drive (a ball) away obliquely by a stroke from another ball. Also intransitive. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > croquet > play croquet [verb (intransitive)] > types of play or stroke to knock the balls about1864 to take off1872 cut1874 finesse1874 shoot1874 peel1960 society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > croquet > play croquet [verb (transitive)] > types of play or stroke croquet1858 roquet1859 run1863 spoon1865 wire1866 to get the rush (on a ball)1868 rush1868 to peg out1869 cut1874 split1877 peel1914 1874 J. D. Heath Compl. Croquet-player 33 If the ball is to be ‘cut’ to the left, the right side of it must be struck. 1874 J. D. Heath Compl. Croquet-player 33 Considerable practice will be required before the player can cut perfectly. 1966 J. W. Solomon Croquet 95 To cut the rush to one side or the other, was for a long time to me a matter of luck. 32. Painting. a. transitive. (See quot. 1728.) ΚΠ 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Cutting, in Painting, the laying one strong lively Colour over another, without any Shade or Softening... The Cutting of Colours has always a disagreeable Effect. b. intransitive. Of a colour: To show itself obtrusively, stand out strongly. ΚΠ a1825 H. Fuseli Lect. viii, in J. Knowles Life & Writings H. Fuseli (1831) II. 340 Those that cut and come forward, first, and those which more or less partake of the surrounding medium in various degrees of distance. 33. colloquial. a. transitive. To break off acquaintance or connection with (a person); also (as a single act) to affect not to see or know (a person) on meeting or passing him. Often emphasized by dead. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > discourtesy > treat discourteously [verb (transitive)] > treat with lack of affability > refuse to recognize cut1634 to look through ——1894 1634 Noble Souldier ii. i Why shud a Souldier..Be cut thus by..a Courtier? 1786 G. Colman in European Mag. 9 370 Some bow, some nod, some cut him. 1811 J. Austen Sense & Sensibility III. viii. 180 He had cut me ever since my marriage. View more context for this quotation 1822 W. Hazlitt Table-talk II. viii. 188 To cut an acquaintance..has hardly yet escaped out of the limits of slang phraseology. 1826 B. Disraeli Vivian Grey I. i. iv. 25 Any fellow voluntarily conversing with an usher, was to be cut dead by the whole school. 1887 F. S. Russell Earl of Peterborough II. vii. 230 He met Bolingbroke..and..cut the ex-Minister dead. †b. intransitive. To break off acquaintance or connection with. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > lack of social communications or relations [verb (intransitive)] > withdraw from association separate1595 cut1783 dissociate1866 to draw away1892 1783 C. Burney Jrnl. in F. Burney Early Diary (1889) II. 305 Mr. Poor and the Fits' have cut, which I regret, but poor man nobody likes him. 1808 R. Southey Select. from Lett. (1856) II. 110 For more than a year Scott has cut with the ‘Edinburgh Review’. 1825 New Monthly Mag. 14 180 I've cut dead with Lucy Drummond, so you may be perfectly easy in that affair. c. transitive. To renounce, give up, absent oneself from, avoid (a thing). ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > relinquishing > relinquish or give up [verb (transitive)] > renounce to claim quitc1314 to quit claimc1314 remisea1325 release1379 remit1379 renouncec1400 to put apart1455 discharge1466 to swear out1598 to quit claim to1664 remiss1701 cut1791 renunciate1848 the world > space > place > absence > be absent from [verb (transitive)] > absent oneself from discontinuea1475 to keep from ——a1535 refrain1534 dishaunt1608 disfrequent1646 cut1791 skip1824 the world > action or operation > inaction > not doing > abstaining or refraining from action > abstain or refrain from (action) [verb (transitive)] > avoid or shun overboweOE bibughOE fleea1000 forbowa1000 ashun1000 befleec1000 beflyc1175 bischunc1200 withbuwe?c1225 waive1303 eschew1340 refuse1357 astartc1374 sparec1380 shuna1382 void1390 declinea1400 forbeara1400 shurna1400 avoidc1450 umbeschewc1485 shewe1502 evite1503 devoid1509 shrink1513 schew?a1534 devite1549 fly1552 abstract1560 evitate1588 estrange1613 cut1791 shy1802 skulk1835 side-slip1930 to walk away from1936 punt1969 1791 ‘G. Gambado’ Ann. Horsemanship x. 45 I shall cut riding entirely. 1794 Gentleman's Mag. Dec. 1085/1 I was told of men..who..cut chapel, cut gates, cut lectures, cut hall, cut examinations, [etc.]. c1814 in C. Whibley In Cap & Gown (1890) 104 Bid him not set me an imposition For cutting his lectures this morning at eight. 1835 E. Caswall Art of Pluck (Oxford ed. 6) 37 He that cutteth chapel often. 1861 T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. I. vii. 120 I would cut the whole concern to-morrow. 1930 W. S. Maugham Cakes & Ale iv. 49 She was prepared to cut an engagement in London. d. To cease to support politically. U.S. ΚΠ 1904 N.Y. Evening Post 6 Sept. 2 Information..that Mr. Bell, the Republican nominee for governor, was being cut by the farmers of Chittenden County because of his policy. 34. To finish. New Zealand slang. ΚΠ 1945 J. Henderson Gunner Inglorious xvi. 134 Let's cut the lot. 1947 ‘A. P. Gaskell’ Big Game 41 Is the beer all cut? 1952 G. Wilson Julien Ware xxxiv. 241 Here, drink it down. We must cut this bottle tonight. †35. Irish History. (transitive) To levy (a tax, etc.). Also absol. [ < Irish gearraim sraid: compare French tailler.] ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > impost, due, or tax > tax > taxation > levy (a tax) [verb (transitive)] taxc1290 araisec1386 levy1388 raise1389 cess1495 fine1570 cut1596 impose1600 1596 E. Spenser View State Ireland 87 Cutting upon every portion of land a reasonable rent. 1610 J. Davies Let. in Hist. Tracts (1787) 280 He..had power to cut upon all the inhabitants, high, or low, as pleased him. 1612 J. Davies Discouerie Causes Ireland 126 I may cut the erick upon the country. †36. Thieves' cant. To speak, talk, say. (transitive and intransitive.) Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > speak, say, or utter [verb (transitive)] speakc825 queatheOE forthdoc900 i-seggenc900 sayeOE speak971 meleOE quidOE spella1000 forthbringc1000 givec1175 warpa1225 mootc1225 i-schirea1250 upbringa1250 outsay?c1250 spilec1275 talec1275 wisea1300 crackc1315 nevena1325 cast1330 rehearsec1330 roundc1330 spend1362 carpa1375 sermona1382 to speak outc1384 usea1387 minc1390 pronouncea1393 lancec1400 mellc1400 nurnc1400 slingc1400 tellc1400 wordc1400 yelpc1400 worka1425 utterc1444 outspeakc1449 yielda1450 arecchec1460 roose?a1475 cutc1525 to come forth with1532 bubble1536 prolate1542 report1548 prolocute1570 bespeak1579 wield1581 upbraid1587 up with (also mid) ——1594 name1595 upbrayc1600 discoursea1616 tonguea1616 to bring out1665 voice1665 emit1753 lip1789 to out with1802 pitch1811 go1836 to open one's head1843 vocabulize1861 shoot1915 verbal1920 be1982 the mind > language > speech > conversation > converse [verb (intransitive)] yedc888 speak971 rounda1200 talka1225 tevela1225 intercommunec1374 fable1382 parlec1400 reason?c1425 communique?1473 devise1477 cutc1525 wade1527 enterparle1536 discourse1550 to hold one chat, with chat, in chat1573 parley1576 purpose1590 dialogue1595 commerce1596 dialoguize1596 communicate1598 propose1600 dialogize1601 converse1615 tella1616 interlocute1621 interparle1791 conversate1811 colloquize1823 conversationize1826 colloque1850 visit1862 colloquy1868 to make conversation1921 c1525 Bk. Mayd Emlyn sig. A.ii Than wolde she mete With her lemman swete And cutte with hym. 1567 T. Harman Caueat for Commen Cursetors (new ed.) Peddelars Frenche sig. Giii^v To cutte bene whydds, to speake or geue good words... To cutte, to saye. 1725 in New Canting Dict. To Cut, to Speak. 1815 W. Scott Guy Mannering II. 101 Meg..has some queer ways, and often cuts queer words. †37. intransitive ? To shape one's discourse, trim, try not to commit oneself. Obsolete. Π 1672–3 A. Marvell Rehearsal Transpros'd I. 114 He cuts indeed and faulters in this discourse, which is no good sign. 1710 E. Ward Vulgus Britannicus: 2nd Pt. 74 Some Crafty Zealots cut and wheadl'd, And lying vow'd they never meddl'd. VIII. Phrases. 38. to cut a feather: †a. To make fine distinctions, ‘split hairs’. Obsolete. ΘΠ the mind > mental capacity > understanding > reason, faculty of reasoning > misleading argument, sophistry > excessive subtlety, hair-splitting > pursue subtleties [verb (intransitive)] windc1386 subtlec1390 subtilea1450 subtilize1592 to cut a feathera1634 to split a hair or hairs1674 to split straws1674 to split words1674 Thomisticate1730 subtlize1821 a1634 W. Austin Devotionis Augustinianæ Flamma (1635) 169 Nor seeke..with nice distinctions, to cut a Feather [with the Schoolemen]. 1684 T. Goddard Plato's Demon 317 Men who..have not the skill to cut a feather. b. Nautical. Of a ship: To make the water foam before her. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > action or motion of vessel > [verb (intransitive)] > make progress > move swiftly crowd937 runOE boom1617 to cut a feather1627 with a bone in her mouth (also teeth)1627 snore1830 spank1835 ramp1856 to step out1884 foot1892 1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. ii. 10 If the Bow be too broad, she will seldome..cut a feather, that is, to make a fome before her. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. To cut a Feather, when a ship has so sharp a bow that she makes the spray feather in cleaving it. 39. to cut a tooth, to cut one's teeth: to have them appear through the gums; also figurative to become knowing, attain to discretion. See also to cut one's eyeteeth at eyetooth n. Phrases 2. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > digestive or excretive organs > digestive organs > mouth > tooth or teeth > [phrase] > have one's teeth appear through gums to cut one's teeth1677 the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > be or become wise [verb (intransitive)] sape1694 to cut one's wisdom teeth1848 to cut one's teeth1861 1677 Lady Hatton in E. M. Thompson Corr. Family of Hatton (1878) I. 148 Poor little Susana is very ill about her teeth. I hope in God they will not be long before they be cut. 1694 W. Congreve Double-dealer ii. i. 21 Like any Child, that was cutting his Teeth. 1732 J. Arbuthnot Ess. Nature Aliments (ed. 2) 408 When the Teeth is ready to cut. 1861 C. Reade Cloister & Hearth II. xiii. 261 He and I were born the same year, but he cut his teeth long before me. 1869 Princess Alice Mem. (1884) 220 Baby..is now cutting his fifth tooth, which is all but through. 40. to cut and carve: see carve v. 11. to cut and contrive: to practise economy so as to keep one's expenses within one's means. to cut and dry: to render cut and dried: see cut adj. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > management of money > expenditure > moderation or reduction in expenditure > spend money sparingly [verb (intransitive)] > live within one's means to cut one's cloth according to one's calling1546 to hold or bring (bare) buckle and thong together1600 to cut and contrive1854 to make buckle and tongue meet1859 1854 C. Dickens Hard Times i. ii. 7 A mighty man at cutting and drying. 1876 ‘G. Eliot’ Daniel Deronda I. i. iii. 53 I am obliged to cut and contrive. 1883 H. Drummond Nat. Law in Spiritual World (ed. 8) 360 You cannot cut and dry truth. 1888 J. Payn Myst. Mirbridge xiv Cutting and contriving to make both ends meet. 41. to cut and run (Nautical): see quot. 1794; (slang or colloquial) to make off promptly, hurry off. Also as attributive.phr. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > berthing, mooring, or anchoring > berth, moor, or anchor [verb (intransitive)] > anchor > weigh anchor > cut cable to get away quickly to cut and run1704 cut1707 the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going away > go away [verb (intransitive)] > go away suddenly or hastily fleec825 runOE swervea1225 biwevec1275 skip1338 streekc1380 warpa1400 yerna1400 smoltc1400 stepc1460 to flee (one's) touch?1515 skirr1548 rubc1550 to make awaya1566 lope1575 scuddle1577 scoura1592 to take the start1600 to walk off1604 to break awaya1616 to make off1652 to fly off1667 scuttle1681 whew1684 scamper1687 whistle off1689 brush1699 to buy a brush1699 to take (its, etc.) wing1704 decamp1751 to take (a) French leave1751 morris1765 to rush off1794 to hop the twig1797 to run along1803 scoot1805 to take off1815 speela1818 to cut (also make, take) one's lucky1821 to make (take) tracks (for)1824 absquatulize1829 mosey1829 absquatulate1830 put1834 streak1834 vamoose1834 to put out1835 cut1836 stump it1841 scratch1843 scarper1846 to vamoose the ranch1847 hook1851 shoo1851 slide1859 to cut and run1861 get1861 skedaddle1862 bolt1864 cheese it1866 to do a bunkc1870 to wake snakes1872 bunk1877 nit1882 to pull one's freight1884 fooster1892 to get the (also to) hell out (of)1892 smoke1893 mooch1899 to fly the coop1901 skyhoot1901 shemozzle1902 to light a shuck1905 to beat it1906 pooter1907 to take a run-out powder1909 blow1912 to buzz off1914 to hop it1914 skate1915 beetle1919 scram1928 amscray1931 boogie1940 skidoo1949 bug1950 do a flit1952 to do a scarper1958 to hit, split or take the breeze1959 to do a runner1980 to be (also get, go) ghost1986 1704 Boston News-let. 12 June 2/2 Cap. Vaughn rode by said Ship, but cut & run. 1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship II. 248* To Cut and run, to cut the cable and make sail instantly, without waiting to weigh anchor. 1821 Ld. Byron Let. to J. Murray 7 Feb. Greek and Turkish craft..were obliged to ‘cut and run’ before the wind. 1861 C. Dickens Great Expectations I. v. 69 I'd give a shilling if they had cut and run. 1909 Daily Chron. 23 Oct. 9/1 If it is the cut-and-run mood that has conquered she goes home. 1945 Hutchinson's Pict. Hist. War 27 Sept. 1944–13 Mar. 1945 54 We anticipated a cut-and-run operation by a force consisting of two or three battleships and a couple of carriers. 42. to cut loose: a. transitive. To loosen or set free by cutting that which fastens or confines. b. intransitive. To sever oneself, free oneself, escape. ΘΠ the world > action or operation > safety > escape > [verb (intransitive)] > from confinement atburstc1000 outbreakOE strayc1330 aventc1375 twinc1386 out-wina1425 to break away1535 disengage1647 to break bounds1816 to cut loose1828 1828 W. Scott Tales of Grandfather 1st Ser. III. i. 23 Dacre's quarters were attacked, and his horses all cut loose. 1852 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin I. vii. 79 In leaving the only home she had ever known, and cutting loose from the protection of a friend whom she loved and revered. 1889 A. E. Barr Feet of Clay xv. 301 I will cut loose from every entanglement. c. To begin to act freely; to start off; to commence an attack; to let oneself go. U.S. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > attack > attack [verb (intransitive)] > commence an attack enterprisec1570 to go in1810 to cut loose1900 society > authority > lack of subjection > freedom or liberty > liberation > set free [verb (intransitive)] > escape from restraint > throw off restraint to throw off1551 to break forth1608 to take a loose1703 to let rip1857 to kick over the traces1861 to cut loose1900 the world > action or operation > undertaking > beginning action or activity > begin action or activity [verb (intransitive)] beginc1000 onginOE aginOE ginc1175 to go tillc1175 to take onc1175 comsea1225 fanga1225 to go toc1275 i-ginc1275 commencec1320 to get (also get down, go, go adown, set, set down) to workc1400 to lay to one's hand(sc1405 to put to one's hand (also hands)c1410 to set toc1425 standa1450 to make to1563 to fall to it1570 to start out1574 to fall to1577 to run upon ——1581 to break off1591 start1607 to set in1608 to set to one's hands1611 to put toa1616 to fall ona1625 in1633 to fall aboard1642 auspicatea1670 to set out1693 to enter (into) the fray1698 open1708 to start in1737 inchoate1767 to set off1774 go1780 start1785 to on with1843 to kick off1857 to start in on1859 to steam up1860 to push off1909 to cut loose1923 to get (also put) the show on the road1941 to get one's arse in gear1948 1900 G. Ade More Fables (1902) 182 She would approach the Piano timidly and sort of Trifle with it for a while, and say they would have to make Allowances, and then she would Cut Loose and worry the whole Block. 1901 S. E. White Westerners xviii. 157 You just ought to see him when he cuts loose. 1910 W. M. Raine Bucky O'Connor 244 It was York shot Reilly, after Cork had cut loose at him. 1918 E. M. Roberts Flying Fighter 66 My lorry had been seen, however. As I was taking it round a corner the Huns cut loose and caused me to go down that road as fast as the motor would take me. 1923 R. D. Paine Comrades Rolling Ocean xi. 196 He just now cut loose with ‘Goodness gracious..I should call this the deuce of a mess’. 1941 H. L. Mencken Newspaper Days (1942) xi. 184 When he got down his first dozen mugs..he cut loose with an exultant yodel. d. †to cut scores: to settle accounts (with): see score n. Obsolete. 43. to cut short: (transitive) a. to shorten by cutting off a part or parts; to abridge, curtail. literal and figurative. (Sometimes to cut shorter.) ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > reduce in quantity, amount, or degree [verb (transitive)] > curtail wanea889 dockc1380 bridgec1384 abridgea1393 limita1398 syncopec1412 defalk1475 shortena1535 to cut short?1542 royn1573 retrench1587 curtail1589 retranch1589 lop1594 scantle1596 scant1599 scantelize1611 curtalize1622 defalce1651 detrench1655 barb1657 defalcatea1690 razee1815 detruncate1846 to cut down1857 shave1898 society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > non-fiction > summary or epitome > summarize or abridge [verb (transitive)] abrevya1325 comprehendc1369 abridgec1384 shorta1390 suma1398 abbreviate?a1475 shorten1530 to cut short?1542 curtail1553 to knit up1553 to wind up1583 clip1598 epitomize1599 brief1601 contract1604 to shut up1622 decurt1631 to sum up1642 breviate1663 curtilate1665 compendize1693 epitomate1702 to gather up1782 summarize1808 scissor1829 précis1856 to cut down1857 to boil down1880 synopsize1882 essence1888 résumé1888 short copy1891 bovrilize1900 pot1927 summate1951 capsulize1958 profile1970 ?1542 H. Brinkelow Complaynt Roderyck Mors xi. sig. C5 Cut shorter your processe. 1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward IV f. ccii He was taken &..cut shorter by the hedde. 1611 Bible (King James) 2 Kings x. 32 In those dayes the Lord began to cut Israel short [margin, Hebr. to cut off the ends] . View more context for this quotation 1664 H. More Apol. 507 I must..cut my skirts as short as I can, that they sit not upon them. 1781 F. Burney Jrnl. Aug. in Early Jrnls. & Lett. (2003) IV. 451 That Gentleman..cut the matter very short, & would not talk upon it at all. 1868 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (1876) II. viii. 293 William cuts the whole story very short. 1871 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues I. 143 I will ask you to cut your answers shorter. b. To curtail, abridge, or restrict (any one) in his privileges, means, etc. ΘΠ the mind > possession > loss > taking away > take away [verb (transitive)] > deprive (of) > partially straiten1523 to curtail (a person, etc.) of1581 to cut short1592 the mind > mental capacity > expectation > disappointment > disappoint, frustrate [verb (transitive)] > of something expected failc1386 dismiss1490 mock1541 to cut short1755 1592 A. Day 2nd Pt. Eng. Secretorie sig. E4^v, in Eng. Secretorie (rev. ed.) Your Lordship..cutte me yet thirty pound shorter. 1653 I. Walton Compl. Angler 156 Because I cut you short in that, I will commute for it, by telling you that that was told me for a secret. View more context for this quotation 1672 H. More Brief Reply 302 You..unjustly take upon you to cut us short of Salvation. 1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. To cut short, to abridge: as, the soldiers were cut short of their pay. 1799 Ld. Nelson in Dispatches & Lett. (1846) VII. p. cxciii I am cut short enough by having no other emolument. Thesaurus » c. To bring to a sudden end, break off, put a stop to abruptly. d. To interrupt abruptly; to stop, ‘pull up’ (a speaker). Π 1611 Bible (King James) Rom. ix. 28 He will finish the worke, and cut it short in righteousnesse. View more context for this quotation a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 (1623) iii. i. 81 The welfare of vs all, Hangs on the cutting short that fraudfull man. View more context for this quotation 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis x, in tr. Virgil Wks. 523 More he wou'd have said, But the stern Heroe turn'd aside his Head, And cut him short. 1713 G. Berkeley Three Dialogues Hylas & Philonous i. 58 It would, probably, have cut short your Discourse. 1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 232 But the Admiral..cut him short. ‘I do not wish to hear anything on that subject.’ 1873 W. Black Princess of Thule xiv. 222 Her speculations..were cut short by the entrance of her husband. e. intransitive. To stop short, be brief. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > conciseness > be concise or brief [verb (intransitive)] to be at a (also one) wordOE to make short1556 to be brief1588 abbreviate1596 to cut short1691 to cut (also make) a long story short1732 to make short of long1883 1691 A. Gavin Observ. Journy to Naples 184 I was oblig'd to cut short, and tell her [etc.]. 1726 J. M. tr. A. de La V. d'Orville de Vignacourt Tragical Hist. Chevalier de Vaudray 116 To cut short..we broke up. 44. to cut one's stick (slang): to take one's departure, be off, go. Also to cut one's lucky (see lucky n.²). ΚΠ 1825 Blackwood's Mag. 18 42/1 He..has cut his stick mayhap until we sail. 1841 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop ii. xl. 17 I'm afraid I must cut my stick. 1844 W. H. Maxwell Wanderings in Highlands & Islands I. iii. 85 I am glad you ‘cut your lucky’. 45. to cut the coat according to the cloth: to adapt oneself to circumstances, keep within the limits of one's means (see cloth n. 10). So also †to cut one's cloth according to one's calling. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > management of money > expenditure > moderation or reduction in expenditure > spend money sparingly [verb (intransitive)] > live within one's means to cut one's cloth according to one's calling1546 to hold or bring (bare) buckle and thong together1600 to cut and contrive1854 to make buckle and tongue meet1859 1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue i. viii. sig. C I shall Cut my cote after my cloth. 1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. lxxviii. 241 To teach them how they should cut their coates. a1640 J. Fletcher et al. Beggers Bush iv. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Ll4/2 Keepe your selfe right, and even, cut your cloth Sir, According to your calling. 1867 Homeward Mail 16 Nov. 953/2 Times are changed, and..we must, to use the homely metaphor, ‘cut our coat according to our cloth’. †46. to cut sail, one's sail: see quot. 1692. ? Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > use of sails, spars, or rigging > support (an amount of) sail [verb (intransitive)] > spread (more) sail > unfurl sail to cut sail, one's sail1582 1582 N. Lichefield tr. F. L. de Castanheda 1st Bk. Hist. Discouerie E. Indias 71 a The whole Fleete, hauing wayed, did then begin to cut and spread their sayles with a great pleasure. 1589 J. Sparke in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations iii. 523 At which departing, in cutting the foresaile, a marueilous misfortune happened to one of the officers. 1692 Smith's Sea-mans Gram. (new ed.) i. xvi. 76 Cut the Sail, that is unfurl it, and let it fall down. 1721 in N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. 47. to cut the throat of: see throat n. Phrases 3a. 48. to cut it (too) fat: see 8b. 49. to cut to pieces: see 7c. Categories » 50. to cut the comb of: to lower the pride of: see comb n. to cut the gold (Archery): see gold n.¹ to cut the grass under, to cut the ground from under, a person's feet: see grass n.¹, ground n. to cut the hair: see hair n. to cut the knot: see knot n.¹ 10a. to cut the round: see round n.¹ to cut the volt: see volte n., etc. to cut didoes: see dido n.² to cut dirt: see dirt n. 6d. to cut eyes, to cut (no) ice, to cut the painter: see painter n.² 2. to cut a splurge: see splurge n. 1a to cut a swath: see swath n.¹ 3c. to cut to waste: see waste n. 10d. Also to cut one's loss(es) at loss n.¹ 4c, price-cut vb. at price n. Compounds 2. IX. Phraseological expressions and combinations containing the verb-stem. 51. cut-and-come-again n. and phr. a. The act or faculty of cutting (from a joint of meat, etc.) and of returning to help oneself as often as one likes; hence, unfailing supply, abundance; also figurative or attributive. ΘΠ the mind > possession > supply > [noun] > source of supply > inexhaustible cut-and-come-again1738 1738 J. Swift Compl. Coll. Genteel Conversat. 121 I vow, 'tis a noble Sirloyn... Ay; here's cut, and come again. 1826 in W. Hone Every-day Bk. (1827) II. 54 A ham..is a cut-and-come-again dish, ready at hand. 1841 W. M. Thackeray Great Hoggarty Diamond iv Always happy to see a friend in our plain way,—pale sherry, old port, and cut and come again. 1861 G. A. Sala Dutch Pict. xv. 241 You cut your steak off hot from the living animal, on the cut and come again principle. b. A variety of kale. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > fruit and vegetables > vegetables > cabbage or kale > [noun] > cabbage > other types of cabbage brisoka1340 rape-cole1597 loaf-cabbage1727 sugar-loaf1766 drumhead1783 sugar-loaf cabbage1786 Yorkshire cabbage1786 York1823 Tom Thumb1847 cut-and-come-again1888 the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular vegetables > [noun] > cabbage or kale > cabbage > types of > other types of cabbage red coleOE brisoka1340 red colewort?a1500 rape-cole1597 red cabbage1597 loaf-cabbage1727 sugar-loaf1766 drumhead1783 sugar-loaf cabbage1786 Yorkshire cabbage1786 York1823 palm-kale1853 Scotch curlies1855 thousand-head kale1887 cut-and-come-again1888 1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. Cut and come again, a very prolific variety of kale or winter greens; much grown in cottage gardens. 1959 Listener 21 May 911/1 Here is a delicious way to cook cut-and-come-again (or cottage kale). 52. cut-and-cover n. a. Agriculture. A method of ploughing in which the furrow-slice is turned over on an unploughed strip (see sense 9d above). U.S. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > breaking up land > ploughing > [noun] > furrow > methods of turning furrow henting?a1605 veering1733 ribbling1770 casting1825 cut-and-cover1839 back-striking1844 gathering1846 1839 J. Buel Farmer's Compan. xiii. 113 The cut-and-cover practice is still worse as it leaves..two thirds of the soil, undisturbed by the plough. 1877 4th Rep. Vermont State Board Agric. 1876–7 93 The old Dutch wooden plow..[was] used among the stumps and roots of the newish lands, with the plowman's ideal of cut and cover. b. Engineering. A method of constructing a tunnel by making a cutting in which the brickwork lining is built and then covered in: employed with advantage when the depth below the surface is comparatively small. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [noun] > making tunnels > specific method cut-and-cover1892 1892 Daily News 2 Nov. 2/8 Certain portions of this work..could be much better and more cheaply executed by the method of cut-and-cover. 1892 Daily News 22 Nov. 3/1 Excavating what is technically called the ‘cut and cover’ portion of the work—the portion of the tunnel, that is to say..cut out, arched over, and covered in again. 53. cut-and-fill n. the process or result of removing material from a place and depositing it near by (see quots.); also as a verb. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [noun] > other specific processes shovellingc1440 brooking1610 resoiling1839 riprapping1839 misering1842 back-filling1901 cut-and-fill1904 bulldozing1937 society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [verb (intransitive)] > other specific processes to pick upc1400 forestop1747 cut-and-fill1904 bulldoze1944 pick1997 1904 T. C. Chamberlin & R. D. Salisbury Geol. (1905) I. iii. 183 This is cut-and-fill. The sediment eroded from the curve which is concave toward the stream is shifted down-stream, while that deposited in the curve which is convex toward the stream is brought down from above. 1934 Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. Cut and fill, to construct, as a stadium, by using material excavated from the center to form walls. 1940 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 218/1 Cut-and-fill, a term used to describe any cross-section of highway or railroad earthworks which is partly in cutting and partly in embankment. 1965 G. J. Williams Econ. Geol. N.Z. vii. 80/1 The existence of current-bedding, imbricate arrangement of pebbles, cut-and-fill bedding, and scour channels. 54. cut and thrust: see cut n.² 2c. Phrasal verbs In combination with adverbs. to cut about 1. transitive. To damage or disfigure by random cutting and chipping of the surface. Chiefly passive. Π 1874 G. W. Dasent Half a Life II. 119 The most precious monuments of the Abbey..how cut about and mutilated they are! 2. intransitive. To run or dart about: see 19b. to cut adrift see sense 14. to cut asunder see sense 7. to cut away 1. transitive. To cut so as to take or clear away, to remove by cutting. ΘΠ the world > space > place > removal or displacement > remove or displace [verb (transitive)] > remove or take away > remove or displace by scratching, scraping, stripping, or cutting bestrip1065 file?c1225 to cut awayc1320 raze1419 screeve?1440 rakec1475 to scrape out, forth1530 scrata1560 scrabble1657 scamble1707 peel1787 c1320 Seuyn. Sag. (W.) 604 And his bowes awai i-kett. c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 111 Cuttyyn' a-way, abscindo, amputo. ?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 4229 Some bad þe bolnyng cutt away. 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 399/2 Used to draw up the Cataract off the sight of the eye while it is cuting away. 1886 W. Besant Children of Gibeon 107 I will cut away the dead leaves. †2. figurative. To take away, remove forcibly; to stop the supply of, cut off. Obsolete. Π c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) 2 Cor. xi. 12 I kitte awey the occasioun of hem. c1450 tr. Thomas à Kempis De Imitatione Christi i. xx He þat wolde kutte awey al maner of veyne besines. 1562 N. Winȝet Certain Tractates (1888) I. 10 All errour and abuse being cuttit away. 1707 J. Freind Acct. Earl of Peterborow's Conduct in Spain 251 Yesterday they cut away the Water of a Mill in this Town. 3. intransitive. To go on cutting continuously or without cessation: see away adv. 6. to cut back 1. transitive. To prune by cutting off the shoots close back to the main stem or stock. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > [verb (transitive)] > trees: prune or lop sneda800 shredc1000 crop?c1225 purgec1384 parea1398 shear1398 shridea1425 dodc1440 polla1449 twist1483 top1509 stow1513 lop1519 bough?1523 head?1523 poll-shred1530 prune1547 prime1565 twig1570 reform1574 disbranch1575 shroud1577 snathe1609 detruncate1623 amputate1638 abnodate1656 duba1661 to strip up1664 reprune1666 pollard1670 shrub1682 log1699 switch1811 limb1835 preen1847 to cut back1871 shrig1873 brash1950 summer prune1980 1871 S. Hibberd Amateur's Flower Garden 210 Early in March cut back all the shoots. 2. To plough the second time, across or at right angles to the first furrow; = cross-plough v. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > breaking up land > ploughing > plough (land) [verb (transitive)] > cross-plough cross-ploughc1644 overthwart1667 thwart1847 to cut back1858 cross1859 1858 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 19 i. 65 The ordinary method..was for the farmer in the autumn to plough down the field..in the spring he had it cut back. 3. Bread-making. (See quot.) ΚΠ 1907 J. Kirkland Mod. Baker I. 99 When it has been lying altogether ten hours, it [sc. dough] should be cut in pieces and turned from one end of the trough to the other, and well kneaded. The kneading operation should be repeated in another hour's time; but dough need not be cut back, only well kneaded, and four sides folded up. Machine-made dough ought not to require cutting back at all. 4. Cinematography. To return to a previous scene by repeating a portion of that scene. (See cutback n. 2.) Also transitive. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > filming > special effect > special effects [verb (intransitive)] > cut to cut back1913 jump cut1953 society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > filming > special effect > special effects [verb (transitive)] > cut cut1913 to cut back1913 1913 E. W. Sargent Technique Photoplay (ed. 2) 91 The same device may be used to get rid of a dinner scene... We cut-back to some other action. 1916 Technique Photoplay (ed. 3) 194 It is well to remember..that not all plays may be cut back. 1959 J. Halas & R. Manvell Technique Film Animation 337 Cut back so many frames..and these frames are shot again. 5. transitive. To reduce or decrease (expenditure, etc.). Also intransitive. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > reduce in quantity, amount, or degree [verb (transitive)] littleeOE anitherOE wanzelOE lessc1225 slakea1300 littenc1300 aslakec1314 adminisha1325 allayc1330 settle1338 low1340 minisha1382 reprovea1382 abatea1398 rebatea1398 subtlea1398 alaskia1400 forlyten?a1400 imminish14.. lessenc1410 diminish1417 repress?a1425 assuagec1430 scarcec1440 small1440 underslakec1440 alessa1450 debate?c1450 batec1460 decreasec1470 appetisse1474 alow1494 mince1499 perswage?1504 remita1513 inless?1521 attenuate1530 weaken1530 defray1532 mitigate1532 minorate1534 narrow?1548 diminuec1550 extenuate1555 amain1578 exolve1578 base1581 dejecta1586 amoinder1588 faint1598 qualify1604 contract1605 to pull down1607 shrivel1609 to take down1610 disaugment1611 impoverish1611 shrink1628 decoct1629 persway1631 unflame1635 straiten1645 depress1647 reduce1649 detract1654 minuate1657 alloy1661 lower?1662 sinka1684 retreat1690 nip1785 to drive down1840 minify1866 to knock down1867 to damp down1869 scale1887 mute1891 clip1938 to roll back1942 to cut back1943 downscale1945 downrate1958 slim1963 downshift1972 the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > reduce in quantity, amount, or degree [verb (transitive)] > curtail > of something superfluous prune1565 to cut back1943 trim1966 society > trade and finance > management of money > expenditure > moderation or reduction in expenditure > spend money sparingly [verb (transitive)] > reduce expenditure retrench1626 to cut down1857 to cut back1943 trim1966 1943 Sat. Evening Post 6 Nov. 112 If the Army cuts back a program, it will not need the steel for some other program. 1953 Manch. Guardian Weekly 7 May 3 Western Europe was cutting back its defence programme. 1958 Engineering 4 Apr. 433/1 Industry is continuing to cut back markedly on capital spending plans. 1965 Listener 2 Sept. 334/1 Germany, another country whose aid budget had been built up impressively by the early nineteen-sixties, has recently cut it back. 1971 Daily Tel. 14 Jan. 2/7 A spokesman for ICI said that recruitment of Ph.D. students had been cut back. 6. intransitive. In Surfing, to turn one's surf-board back towards the breaking part of a wave. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > water sports except racing > surfing > surf-ride [verb (intransitive)] > actions of surfer pearl-dive1923 slide1931 hot-dog1959 to hang five, ten1962 to kick out1962 to cut back1963 to pull out1963 to pull off1964 nose-ride1965 rollercoaster1969 shred1977 rail1986 to pull in1987 1963 Surfing Yearbk. 41/1 Cutting back, when a rider is getting too far ahead of the curl, and has to change his direction to get in a better position relative to the wave. 1969 Observer 3 Aug. 35/1 He can ‘cutback’, turning the board back toward the breaking wave. to cut down 1. transitive. To cut so as to bring or throw down; cause to fall by cutting; to fell. ΘΠ the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > lack of height > make low(er) [verb (transitive)] > by cutting (down) to cut down1382 sink1526 razee1815 the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > causing to come or go down > cause to come or go down [verb (transitive)] > bring to the ground/lay low > cut down hewc1000 to cut down1382 1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) Matt. iii. 10 Euery tree..shal be kitt [a1425 L.V. kit] doun. a1400–50 Alexander 2850 To cutte down..Bowis of buskis and of braunches. 1534 Bible (Tyndale rev. Joye) Matt. xxi. 8 Other cut doune braunches from the trees. 1611 Bible (King James) Deut. vii. 5 Ye shall destroy their altars..and cut downe their groues. View more context for this quotation 1784 Gentleman's Mag. 54 ii. 643 A hill contiguous is cutting down. 1884 J. Hatton H. Irving's Impress. Amer. II. v. 86 A ship laden with corn was cut down and sunk by floating ice. 1952 Oxf. Junior Encycl. VI. 174/1 As the old trees are cut down, seedlings spring up naturally to replace them. 2. To let fall or take down (the body of one who has been hanged) by cutting the rope. ΘΠ society > authority > punishment > capital punishment > hanging > hang [verb (transitive)] > take down body or undo hanging to cut downa1549 ungibbet1747 unhang1829 a1549 A. Borde Fyrst Bk. Introd. Knowl. (1870) xxxii. 203 Whosoeuer that is hanged by-yonde see, shall neuer be cutte nor pulled downe. 1583 J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (ed. 4) II. 2152/2 He being hanged till he was halfe dead, was cut downe and stripped. 1883 S. R. Gardiner Hist. Eng. 1603–42 I. vii. 282 The King having given orders that he should not be cut down until he was dead. 3. To lay low or kill with the sword or the like. ΘΠ the world > life > death > killing > killing by specific method > kill [verb (transitive)] > by stabbing or cutting snithec725 ofstingeOE stickOE to sting to death13.. to put (do) to the sword1338 throata1382 to strike dead, to (the) deathc1390 hewc1400 stab1530 to stab (a person) in1530 poniard1593 stiletto1613 jugulate1623 kris1625 dagger1694 pike1787 to cut down1821 sword1863 1821 Ld. Byron Sardanapalus ii. i. 52 Soldiers, hew down the rebel!.. Cut him down. 1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People iii. §7. 154 The Welsh..were cut ruthlessly down in the cornfields. †4. figurative. To put a stop to. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ ?1577 J. Northbrooke Spiritus est Vicarius Christi: Treat. Dicing 142 That the magistrates and rulers may..cut downe this wicked vice, that it may be no more vsed. 5. To take the lead of decisively in a race or run; to surpass, get the better of. ΘΠ the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > outdoing or surpassing > outdo or surpass [verb (transitive)] overstyeOE overshinec1175 overgoc1225 passc1225 surmountc1369 forpassc1374 overmatcha1375 overpassa1382 to pass overa1393 overcomec1400 outpass?a1425 exceedc1425 precedec1425 superexcelc1429 transcendc1430 precel?a1439 outcut1447 overgrowc1475 to come over ——a1479 excel1493 overleapa1500 vanquish1533 outweigh1534 prevent1540 better1548 preferc1550 outgo1553 surpassa1555 exsuperate1559 cote1566 overtop1567 outrun1575 outstrip1579 outsail1580 overruna1586 pre-excel1587 outbid1589 outbrave1589 out-cote1589 top1590 outmatch1593 outvie1594 superate1595 surbravec1600 oversile1608 over-height1611 overstride1614 outdoa1616 outlustrea1616 outpeera1616 outstrikea1616 outrival1622 antecede1624 out-top1624 antecell1625 out-pitch1627 over-merit1629 outblazea1634 surmatch1636 overdoa1640 overact1643 outact1644 worst1646 overspana1657 outsoar1674 outdazzle1691 to cut down1713 ding1724 to cut out1738 cap1821 by-pass1848 overtower1850 pretergress1851 outray1876 outreach1879 cut1884 outperform1937 outrate1955 one-up1963 the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > mastery or superiority > have or gain mastery or superiority over [verb (transitive)] overcomeeOE forecomec1000 overwieldlOE masterc1225 overmaistrie1340 overmatcha1375 overpassa1382 surmount1390 to have the fairer (of)c1400 maistriec1400 overmasterc1425 winc1440 overc1485 bestride1526 rixlec1540 overreach1555 control1567 overmate1567 govern1593 to give (a person) the lurch1598 get1600 to gain cope of1614 top1633 to fetch overa1640 down1641 to have the whip hand (of)1680 carberry1692 to cut down1713 to be more than a match for1762 outflank1773 outmaster1799 outgeneral1831 weather1834 best1839 fore-reach1845 to beat a person at his (also her, etc.) own game1849 scoop1850 euchrec1866 bemaster1871 negotiate1888 to do down1900 to get (someone) wetc1926 lick1946 1713 J. Addison Trial of Ct. Tariff So great is his Natural Eloquence, that he cuts down the finest Orater, and destroys the best-contriv'd Argument. a1864 R. S. Surtees Mr. Facey Romford's Hounds (1911) 156 (Illustration) Captain Spurrier ‘cut down’ by Romford. 6. Nautical. (See quot. 1769.) ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > shipbuilding and repairing > build a ship [verb (transitive)] > modify settlea1625 to cut down1769 razee1818 convert1862 jumboize1956 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Transl. French Terms at Raser un vaisseau To cut down a ship, or take off part of her upper-works..in order to lighten her, when she becomes weak. 1805 Naval Chron. 13 174 The..Indiaman..had been cut down. 7. To reduce, abridge, retrench, curtail, esp. a speech, expenses, wages. Also intransitive, frequently with on. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > reduce in quantity, amount, or degree [verb (transitive)] > curtail wanea889 dockc1380 bridgec1384 abridgea1393 limita1398 syncopec1412 defalk1475 shortena1535 to cut short?1542 royn1573 retrench1587 curtail1589 retranch1589 lop1594 scantle1596 scant1599 scantelize1611 curtalize1622 defalce1651 detrench1655 barb1657 defalcatea1690 razee1815 detruncate1846 to cut down1857 shave1898 the mind > possession > retaining > sparingness or frugality > use sparingly or frugally [verb (transitive)] > economize in economize1785 to cut down1857 society > trade and finance > management of money > expenditure > moderation or reduction in expenditure > spend money sparingly [verb (transitive)] > reduce expenditure retrench1626 to cut down1857 to cut back1943 trim1966 society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > non-fiction > summary or epitome > summarize or abridge [verb (transitive)] abrevya1325 comprehendc1369 abridgec1384 shorta1390 suma1398 abbreviate?a1475 shorten1530 to cut short?1542 curtail1553 to knit up1553 to wind up1583 clip1598 epitomize1599 brief1601 contract1604 to shut up1622 decurt1631 to sum up1642 breviate1663 curtilate1665 compendize1693 epitomate1702 to gather up1782 summarize1808 scissor1829 précis1856 to cut down1857 to boil down1880 synopsize1882 essence1888 résumé1888 short copy1891 bovrilize1900 pot1927 summate1951 capsulize1958 profile1970 1857 C. J. Lever Fortunes of Glencore viii A system of..cutting down every one's demand to the measure of their own pockets. 1885 Dunckley in Manch. Weekly Times 6 June 5/5 Only one London newspaper attempts to give the speeches in full, the rest cut them down unmercifully. 1886 S. Baring-Gould Court Royal I. ix. 144 Expenses ought to be cut down in every way. 1939 H. W. Horwill Anglo-Amer. Interpreter 54 I am cutting down on my meat. 1945 E. Bowen Demon Lover 90 I got my hundred [cigarettes] this morning... I can't seem to cut down, somehow. Mary, have you cut down? 1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio xii. 220 Methods of cutting down on the labour have been suggested. 8. to cut down to size: to reduce to suitable dimensions; figurative to reduce to a true or proper level of importance. ΘΠ the world > space > extension in space > reduction in size or extent > reduce in size or extent [verb (transitive)] > to suitable dimensions to cut down to size1821 to cut (chop, etc.) down to size1972 the mind > emotion > humility > humiliation > humiliate [verb (transitive)] anitherOE fellOE lowc1175 to lay lowc1225 to set adownc1275 snuba1340 meekc1350 depose1377 aneantizea1382 to bring lowa1387 declinea1400 meekenc1400 to pull downc1425 avalec1430 to-gradea1440 to put downc1440 humble1484 alow1494 deject?1521 depress1526 plucka1529 to cut (rarely to cast down) the comb of?1533 to bring down1535 to bring basec1540 adbass1548 diminish1560 afflict1561 to take down1562 to throw down1567 debase1569 embase1571 diminute1575 to put (also thrust) a person's nose out of jointc1576 exinanite1577 to take (a person) a peg lower1589 to take (a person) down a peg (or two)1589 disbasea1592 to take (a person) down a buttonhole (or two)1592 comb-cut1593 unpuff1598 atterr1605 dismount1608 annihilate1610 crest-fall1611 demit1611 pulla1616 avilea1617 to put a scorn on, upon1633 mortify1639 dimit1658 to put a person's pipe out1720 to let down1747 to set down1753 humiliate1757 to draw (a person's) eyeteeth1789 start1821 squabash1822 to wipe a person's eye1823 to crop the feathers of1827 embarrass1839 to knock (also take, etc.) (a person) off his or her perch1864 to sit upon ——1864 squelch1864 to cut out of all feather1865 to sit on ——1868 to turn down1870 to score off1882 to do (a person) in the eye1891 puncture1908 to put (a person) in (also into) his, her place1908 to cut down to size1927 flatten1932 to slap (a person) down1938 punk1963 1821 M. Wilmot Let. 20 Mar. (1935) 100 We..cut down silk stockings to Cat's size. 1904 G. B. Shaw Lett. to Granville Barker 6 Dec. (1956) 45 The theme is a huge one; and it cant be cut down to Court size. 1927 E. Hemingway Men without Women (1928) 33 He wheeled his horse..towards..the far side of the ring where the bull would come out... ‘Pic him, Manos,’ he said. ‘Cut him down to size for me.’ 1959 Listener 2 July 12/2 We are in danger of forgetting our place, of getting ideas above our station. It is good to have Mr. Graves to cut us down to size. 1959 Guardian 17 Sept. 18/1 Production and distribution of films has been cut down to size and other interests have been greatly extended. 1969 J. Drummond People in Glass House xxxvi. 140 You've had thirty good years, perhaps it's time you were cut down to size. to cut in 1. transitive. To carve or engrave in intaglio. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > printmaking > engraving > intaglio printing > engrave in intaglio [verb (transitive)] entaila1552 intaglio1847 to cut in1883 1883 Act 36 & 37 Vict. c. 85 §3 Her official number..shall be cut in on her mainbeam. 2. Whaling. To cut up (a whale) so as to remove the blubber. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > whaling and seal-hunting > whaling > cutting up whale or seal > cut up whale or seal [verb (transitive)] > cut up whale or seal flench1814 to cut in1839 scarf1851 spade1887 1839 T. Beale Nat. Hist. Sperm Whale 185 As soon as possible after the whale has been killed, it is brought alongside the ship to be cut in, by means of instruments which are called ‘spades’. 1840 F. D. Bennett Narr. Whaling Voy. II. 208 The next proceeding of the whaler is to ‘cut in’, or remove the blubber. 1840 F. D. Bennett Narr. Whaling Voy. II. 210 From three to five hours are required to ‘cut in’ an ordinary school whale. 3. intransitive. To penetrate or enter sharply or abruptly; esp. so as to make a way for oneself or occupy a position between others. In later use also, to drive a motor-vehicle between two others which are passing each other in opposite directions; more recently, to drive a motor vehicle, cycle, etc., past another and move sharply in front of the overtaken vehicle. Also transferred. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming in > go or come in [verb (intransitive)] > abruptly chop1535 to cut in1612 society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > drive a vehicle [verb (intransitive)] > drive horse-drawn vehicle > in specific manner to cut in1820 tittup1852 spank1860 society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > drive a vehicle [verb (intransitive)] > drive or operate a motor vehicle > cut between vehicles to cut in1925 society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > drive a vehicle [verb (intransitive)] > drive or operate a motor vehicle > cut in front of a vehicle to cut in1954 1612 M. Drayton Poly-olbion i. 3 Neptune cutting in, a cantle forth doth take. 1630 tr. G. Botero Relations Famous Kingdomes World (rev. ed.) 117 A huge arme of the Sea, which cutting in betweene the Land by the West, watreth Cornwall on the right hand, and Wales on the left. 1799 J. Stuart in Marquess Wellesley Select. Despatches (1877) 114 The enemy having cut in between them and Seedasere. 1820 H. Luttrell in Kaleidoscope 25 July 29/2 Amid the din Of drunken coachmen cutting in. 1856 G. J. Whyte-Melville Kate Coventry iii After much ‘cutting in’, and shaving of wheels and lashing of horses. 1925 Don'ts for Motorists 100 How to avoid accidents... Don't ‘cut in’. 1926 Weekly Disp. 5 Sept. 1/1 He is supposed to have been reported for cutting in at the second and eleventh tees. 1931 Highway Code 10 Your reluctance to stop dead may tempt you to ‘cut in’ by threading your way between other vehicles. This is a frequent source of accidents. 1954 Highway Code 8 Never cut in, that is, do not pull in sharply in front of a moving vehicle which you have just overtaken. 1955 R. Bannister First Four Minutes 21 I was unguarded against the man outside me who was cutting in. 4. To interpose or interrupt abruptly in conversation or the like; to strike in. So cut into for cut in to. spec. To have one's name added to a lady's dancing programme; also (originally U.S.), to supersede a partner during a dance. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > conversation > converse [verb (intransitive)] > interpose in a conversation to cut in1830 chime in1838 to chip in1869 to tune in1912 society > leisure > dancing > ball or dance > take part in ball [verb (intransitive)] > add name to dance programme to cut in1830 society > leisure > dancing > ball or dance > take part in ball [verb (intransitive)] > interrupt and supersede partner to cut in1919 1830 J. Galt Lawrie Todd II. v. viii. 187 When Mr. Van Haarlem had finished his compliments, then Mr. Breugle cut in. 1857 G. A. Lawrence Guy Livingstone vi. 47 Keeping all her after-supper waltzes for him religiously, though half the men in town were trying to cut in. 1859 F. W. Farrar Julian Home vi. 73 ‘I say, Home,’ cut in Kennedy hastily, ‘shall I go?’ 1890 R. F. D. Palgrave O. Cromwell xiii. 288 The Royalists had only to wait, ready to cut in when the Levellers had done the work. c1890 R. Kipling Phantom 'Rickshaw (ed. 3) 74 It will save you cutting into my talk. 1896 G. Ade Artie x. 91 He did n't want no one else to cut in. 1904 W. H. Smith Promoters xxv. 348 That telephone is ‘cut in’ and I have a number of friends..who are listening through it. 1919 Ladies' Home Jrnl. Sept. 169 All the men want to cut in when she dances. 1920 F. S. Fitzgerald This Side of Paradise i. ii. 74 The dance began... Boys cut in on Isabelle every few feet. 1921 R. D. Paine Comrades Rolling Ocean viii. 135 Excuse me, but may I cut in? Miss Crozier wants to see you right away. 1922 Encycl. Brit. XXXII. 1027/2 Two-way radio-telephony enabling two communicators..to ‘cut in’ or interrupt each other. 5. Cards. To join in a game (of whist) by taking the place of a player cutting out (to cut out 16 at Phrasal verbs). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > whist > play whist [verb (intransitive)] > actions or tactics finesse1742 to cut in1760 to cut out1771 to save one's pomp1788 to have the call1863 peter1887 cross-ruff1958 1760 C. Johnstone Chrysal II. i. ii. 10 When the rubber was finished, my mistress was asked to cut in. 1763 Brit. Mag. 4 542 Instead of cutting in to a party of whist, they play the rubbers by rotation. ?1870 F. Hardy & J. R. Ware Mod. Hoyle 6 Players cutting in take the chairs of players cutting out. 6. To receive a share (of profits, booty, etc.); also transitive (originally U.S.), to give (a person) a share; frequently with on. slang. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > sharing > share [verb (intransitive)] scot?c1225 deal1297 partc1300 to take partc1384 departc1440 skair1462 impart1471 participate1531 communicate1541 to part stakes (also shares)1553 boot1554 partake1561 intercommune1601 copart1637 to go sharers1644 to run shares1644 intervene1646 go1653 to go a share1655 to share and share alike (formerly also like)1656 to go shares1658 to go share and share alikea1661 to go snips (or snip)1671 to go snacks (or snack)1693 to club one's shares1814 to cut in1890 the mind > possession > giving > distributing or dealing out > distribute or deal out [verb (transitive)] > divide into shares > give a person a share participate1531 to cut in1924 1890 R. D. Blackmore Kit & Kitty III. xiv. 192 The brothers..smiled a sour smile, as much as to say,—‘You don't cut in for any of it.’ 1924 R. Lardner How to write Short Stories (1926) 335 They'll cut you in on the big money. 1930 I. Goldberg Tin Pan Alley 210 For plugging certain numbers these leaders collect—‘cut in’—on payments and royalties. 1950 G. Greene Third Man xiv. 122 Were you going to cut me in on the spoils? 7. transitive. To connect (an electric circuit, etc.). Also intransitive of a motor. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > circuit > connect [verb (transitive)] switch1881 to loop in1893 to cut in1910 to switch in1957 1910 [see to cut out 18 at Phrasal verbs]. 8. transitive. To insert (a scene) into a film sequence. Also transferred. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > editing > edit [verb (transitive)] re-edit1785 cut1913 edit1913 to cut in1928 cheat1929 cross-cut1933 intercut1953 1928 Film Weekly 29 Oct. 17/3 These shots I cut in with other and varied material. 1934 C. Lambert Music Ho! iv. 262 A picture of the mother crying was ‘cut in’ with a picture of a dripping kitchen tap. 1947 D. Lean in O. Blakeston Working for Films 29 Now where would you cut in the close-up of the banana-skin? 1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio ii. 43 Special [sound] effects are cut in as required. 1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio vii. 128 We may wish to edit music..to cut in a retake. to cut off 1. transitive. To cut so as to take off; to detach by cutting (something material).to cut off a corner: see corner n.¹ 2b. ΘΠ the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separate [verb (transitive)] > separate from > separate or cut off to cut offc1380 discidea1513 warn1536 rescind1598 desect1613 the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > detach [verb (transitive)] > cut off becarveOE carvec1000 hewc1000 shredc1275 cuta1300 chapc1325 cleavec1330 off-shearc1330 withscore1340 to cut offc1380 colea1400 slivea1400 to score awayc1400 abscisea1500 discidea1513 sharea1529 off-trenchc1530 off-hewc1540 pare1549 detrench1553 slice?1560 detrunk1566 sneck1578 resect1579 shred1580 curtail1594 off-chop1594 lop?1602 disbranch1608 abscind1610 snip1611 circumcise1613 desecate1623 discerpa1628 amputate1638 absciss1639 prescind1640 notch1820 c1380 J. Wyclif Sel. Wks. I. 401 Ȝif þi hond or þi foot sclaundir þee, kitte it of, and caste it fro þee. 1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. NNNiiii^v Though thou cutte of my heed. 1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 119 To haue their noses and eares cut off. 1699 J. Evelyn Kalendarium Hortense (ed. 9) 34 Cutting off the dead Wood. 1864 Ld. Tennyson Enoch Arden in Enoch Arden, etc. 49 This hair is his: she cut it off and gave it. 2. To remove, take away, sever, strike off (something immaterial). Π 1581 J. Bell tr. W. Haddon & J. Foxe Against Jerome Osorius 98 b When as I doe cut of so much of myne owne right unto you. a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) iii. i. 102 Why he that cuts off twenty yeares of life, Cuts off so many yeares of fearing death. View more context for this quotation 1697 J. Dryden Ded. Æneis in tr. Virgil Wks. 236 No Vowel can be cut off before another, when we cannot sink the Pronunciation of it. 1792 T. Coke & H. Moore Life John Wesley (ed. 2) i. 4 Determined..at a single blow to cut off from the established Church every Minister of honesty and conscience. 3. To bring to an end suddenly or abruptly; to put a stop to; to break off, cut short. to cut off an entail: see entail n.² 1. ΘΠ the world > action or operation > ceasing > cease from (an action or operation) [verb (transitive)] > cause to cease or put a stop to > suddenly or abruptly (an action or person) break1330 to break offc1340 to take up1530 to cut off1576 stunt1603 to cut up short1607 to cut short1611 pawl1797 to sew up1837 to stop short1837 burst1842 to pull up1861 1576 A. Fleming tr. Cicero in Panoplie Epist. 17 I had rather cut off all old acquaintance with him. 1611 Bible (King James) Lament. iii. 53 They haue cut off my life in the dungeon. View more context for this quotation 1635 A. Stafford Femall Glory 62 Obedience calls upon me to cut off..this digression. a1645 W. Browne tr. M. Le Roy Hist. Polexander (1647) iii. ii. 73 Zabaim, cutting him off, bade him answer succinctly. 1865 C. E. L. Riddell World in Church xxvii. 303 You wish to cut off the entail. 1878 R. B. Smith Carthage 285 [These things] cut off all hopes of a reconciliation. 4. To put to death (suddenly or prematurely), to bring to an untimely end. ΘΠ the world > life > death > killing > kill [verb (transitive)] swevec725 quelmeOE slayc893 quelleOE of-falleOE ofslayeOE aquellc950 ayeteeOE spillc950 beliveOE to bring (also do) of (one's) life-dayOE fordoa1000 forfarea1000 asweveOE drepeOE forleseOE martyrOE to do (also i-do, draw) of lifeOE bringc1175 off-quellc1175 quenchc1175 forswelta1225 adeadc1225 to bring of daysc1225 to do to deathc1225 to draw (a person) to deathc1225 murder?c1225 aslayc1275 forferec1275 to lay to ground, to earth (Sc. at eird)c1275 martyrc1300 strangle1303 destroya1325 misdoa1325 killc1330 tailc1330 to take the life of (also fro)c1330 enda1340 to kill to (into, unto) death1362 brittena1375 deadc1374 to ding to deathc1380 mortifya1382 perisha1387 to dight to death1393 colea1400 fella1400 kill out (away, down, up)a1400 to slay up or downa1400 swelta1400 voida1400 deliverc1400 starvec1425 jugylc1440 morta1450 to bring to, on, or upon (one's) bierc1480 to put offc1485 to-slaya1500 to make away with1502 to put (a person or thing) to silencec1503 rida1513 to put downa1525 to hang out of the way1528 dispatch?1529 strikea1535 occidea1538 to firk to death, (out) of lifec1540 to fling to deathc1540 extinct1548 to make out of the way1551 to fet offa1556 to cut offc1565 to make away?1566 occise1575 spoil1578 senda1586 to put away1588 exanimate1593 unmortalize1593 speed1594 unlive1594 execute1597 dislive1598 extinguish1598 to lay along1599 to make hence1605 conclude1606 kill off1607 disanimate1609 feeze1609 to smite, stab in, under the fifth rib1611 to kill dead1615 transporta1616 spatch1616 to take off1619 mactate1623 to make meat of1632 to turn up1642 inanimate1647 pop1649 enecate1657 cadaverate1658 expedite1678 to make dog's meat of1679 to make mincemeat of1709 sluice1749 finisha1753 royna1770 still1778 do1780 deaden1807 deathifyc1810 to lay out1829 cool1833 to use up1833 puckeroo1840 to rub out1840 cadaverize1841 to put under the sod1847 suicide1852 outkill1860 to fix1875 to put under1879 corpse1884 stiffen1888 tip1891 to do away with1899 to take out1900 stretch1902 red-light1906 huff1919 to knock rotten1919 skittle1919 liquidate1924 clip1927 to set over1931 creasea1935 ice1941 lose1942 to put to sleep1942 zap1942 hit1955 to take down1967 wax1968 trash1973 ace1975 c1565 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1728) 16 If the Earl of Douglas..had been cutted off suddenly. 1611 Bible (King James) 1 Sam. xx. 15 When the Lord hath cut off the enemies of Dauid. View more context for this quotation 1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 483. ¶2 Why such an one was cut off in the Flower of his Youth. 1888 J. W. Burgon Lives Twelve Good Men II. x. 239 His father was cut off at the age of twenty-five. †5. To shorten, cut short. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1607 T. Dekker & J. Webster West-ward Hoe v. sig. I2 The story of vs both, shall bee as good, as an olde wiues tale, to cut off our way to London. 6. To intercept, stop the passage or supply of. ΘΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > hindering completely or preventing > hinder completely or prevent [verb (transitive)] > by interception fore-rideOE blind1303 to cut off1569 forestall1570 intercept1662 interdict1984 1569 T. Stocker tr. Diodorus Siculus Hist. Successors Alexander i. iv. 9 Leosthenes seeing that he could not by force winne the towne, straightwaies cut of their victuals. 1780 W. Coxe Acct. Russ. Discov. 198 The Chinese.. found means to cut off several straggling parties of Russians. 1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India II. v. v. 495 [They] cut off several vehicles of baggage. 1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 1st Ser. I. 92 At last the company's man came to cut off the water. 1875 C. M. Yonge Cameos cxxiv, in Monthly Packet May 491 War..would cut off their wool from the Flemish looms. 7. To interrupt, stop (communication, passage, etc.); to render impossible by interposing an insurmountable obstacle. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > absence of movement > render immobile [verb (transitive)] > stop the movement of > cause to be arrested or intercepted in progress warna1250 foreclosec1290 dit1362 stayc1440 stopc1440 set1525 suppress1547 bar1578 frontier1589 stay1591 intercepta1599 to cut off1600 interpose1615 lodgea1616 obstruct1621 stifle1629 sufflaminate1656 stick1824 to hold up1887 society > armed hostility > military operations > manoeuvre > [verb (transitive)] > cut off glean1611 to cut off1823 1600 B. Jonson Every Man out of his Humor ii. i. sig. F^v S'light, our presence has cut off the convoy of the jest. View more context for this quotation 1653 H. Cogan tr. F. M. Pinto Voy. & Adventures vii. 19 He cut off his way, and stopt him from passing further. 1776 N. Woodhull in J. Sparks Corr. Amer. Revol. (1853) I. 260 Cutting off the communication between the army in town and country. 1823 J. D. Hunter Mem. Captivity 52 We attempted to cut off their retreat. 1845 C. J. Lever O'Donoghue (1862) 352 I have sent a strong party..to cut off their advance. 8. To exclude from access, intercourse, view, etc.; to shut out; to debar. spec. To deprive of communication by telephone or telegraph; to disconnect (a telephone). ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > hindering completely or preventing > hinder completely or prevent [verb (transitive)] forbidc1000 forrunc1275 forbar1303 before-comec1384 withstanda1400 withholdc1400 prevenec1485 supprime1490 interrupt1497 resist?a1513 prevent1522 discourage1528 prohibit1531 stop1534 forleta1555 bar1559 to bar by and main1567 disbar1567 to cut off1576 embar1577 forestall1579 obvent1588 cancel1594 waylay1625 suppress1651 antevene1655 arceate1657 exarceate1657 interpel1722 stump1858 estop1876 plug1887 pre-empt1957 deter1961 society > communication > telecommunication > telegraphy or telephony > telephony > communicate with by telephone [verb (transitive)] > break off connection with disconnect1877 to hang up on1928 to cut off1932 1576 A. Fleming tr. C. Longolius in Panoplie Epist. 405 You might alledge..some other impediment which cut you off from keeping company. 1709 G. Berkeley Ess. New Theory of Vision §77. 86 The Wall interposing, cuts off all that Prospect of Sea and Land. 1857 W. Collins Dead Secret I. iii. i. 136 The first cottage..which was cut off from other houses by a wall all round it. 1859 J. M. Jephson & L. Reeve Narr. Walking Tour Brittany vi. 76 Declaring a man a leper, and cutting him off from social intercourse. 1891 E. S. Ellis Check No. 2134 v. 38 The company can't afford to be cut off this way. 1926 J. Black You can't Win vi. 68 She might git worked up about your troubles and ask a lot of dam' fool questions. Cut her off. 1932 D. Whipple Greenbanks viii. 91 The telephone had its merits after all; Ambrose could be cut off. 1940 W. H. Auden Another Time 91 Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone. 9. to cut off with a shilling: to disinherit by bequeathing a shilling (the bequest being a proof that the disinheritance was designed). ΘΚΠ society > law > legal right > right of possession or ownership > right to succeed to title, position, or estate > succession > cause to descend by succession [verb (transitive)] > disinherit disheritc1290 disheritc1330 disheriss1489 disinherita1500 exheredate1552 to strike off with a shilling1597 disheir1607 disherison1654 to cut off with a shilling1834 to cut out1891 1710 J. Addison Tatler No. 216. ⁋15 My eldest Son John..I do disinherit and wholly cut off from any Part of this my Personal Estate, by giving him a single Cockle Shell.] 1834 T. Hood Tylney Hall (1840) 268 Vowing..to cut him off with a shilling. 1861 ‘G. Eliot’ Silas Marner iii. 46 I might get you turned out of house and home, and cut off with a shilling. to cut out 1. transitive. To cut so as to take out; to excise, extract, or extirpate by cutting (something material). Frequently figurative in recent colloquial use: to stop doing or using (something); to leave off, do without, omit, drop: esp. in imperative phrase cut it out. ΘΠ the world > space > place > removal or displacement > extraction > extract [verb (transitive)] > by cutting to cut outc1400 slice?1560 exsect1641 exscind1662 excide1739 snip1801 scissor1832 excise1835 outcut1860 the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > quality of being exclusive > exclude [verb (transitive)] > omit or leave out letc900 overleapOE forletc1200 beleavec1275 overpassa1382 to cut outc1400 overskipc1400 omisec1425 omit1439 to leave outc1450 obmise1490 neglect1511 skip1531 obmit?1541 enterlesse1548 intermit1570 prevade1641 waive1651 suppress1826 the world > action or operation > ceasing > cease activity [verb (intransitive)] > leave off! or stop it! to do waya1325 stay1601 go and eat coke1669 to leave off1785 whoa1838 drop it!1843 cut1859 turn it up1867 to come off ——1896 to chuck it1901 knock it off!1902 cut it out1903 nix1903 break it down1941 to shove it1941 leave it out!1969 c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (Roxb.) xix. 88 With þat knyf he cuttez out a pece of his flesch. 1480 Table Prouffytable Lernynge (Caxton) (1964) 39 He can cutte out the stone. 1662 J. Evelyn Sculptura i. 9 With the Burine one cuts the peice [sic] all at once out of the plate. 1707 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. 31 Oct. He found the Leaves..cut out. 1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 23. ¶4 The Pope..ordered his Tongue to be cut out. 1840 R. Liston Elem. Surg. (ed. 2) i. 215 The affected parts..should be cut out. 1903 G. Ade People you Know 82 Cut it out! 1905 ‘H. McHugh’ You can search Me i. 27 I've been speculating again after faithfully promising her to cut out all the guessing contests. So cut out the yesterday gag. a1910 ‘O. Henry’ Sixes & Sevens (1916) xviii. 209 To be frank with you, Whatsup, I've cut out the dope. 1914 G. Atherton Perch of Devil i. 137 If it were more the primal instinct..so much the worse, the more reason to ‘cut it out’. 1923 R. D. Paine Comrades Rolling Ocean vi. 110 Will you cut out the booze while you are ashore in Jamaica? 1924 W. M. Raine Troubled Waters viii. 85 We'd better cut out threats. They lead to trouble. 1928 F. N. Hart Bellamy Trial iii. 96 I thought she'd make him cut it out. 1933 W. H. Auden Poems (ed. 2) 52 Its no use raising a shout. No, Honey, you can cut that right out. 1937 R. Stout Red Box iv. 54 Llewellyn..was expostulating: ‘Now, Dad, cut it out,—now listen a minute.’ 1939 D. L. Sayers In Teeth of Evidence 202 ‘The great man himself. London's rising dramatist.’.. ‘Cut it out,’ said Scales. 1970 M. Guybon tr. A. Solzhenitsyn First Circle xlix. 366 ‘Cut it out!’ said Pryanchikov, struggling violently. ‘I'm sick of prosecutors and trials.’ 2. To remove, excise, omit (a portion of a literary work, etc.). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > non-fiction > summary or epitome > summarize or abridge [verb (transitive)] > abridge by excision > excise excise1663 to cut out1736 society > law > legal right > right of possession or ownership > right to succeed to title, position, or estate > succession > cause to descend by succession [verb (transitive)] > disinherit disheritc1290 disheritc1330 disheriss1489 disinherita1500 exheredate1552 to strike off with a shilling1597 disheir1607 disherison1654 to cut off with a shilling1834 to cut out1891 1736 H. Fielding Pasquin i. 2 I wish you could cut the Ghost out, Sir. 1781 R. B. Sheridan Critic ii. ii Sir, the performers have cut it out. 1886 G. Salmon Hist. Introd. N.T. xviii. 380 The parts which it is proposed to cut out are indissolubly connected with those which are left behind. 1891 F. W. Maude Merciful Divorce 117 Before I cut you out of my will. 3. To surprise and carry off (a ship) from a harbour, etc., by getting between her and the shore. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > operations or manoeuvres > perform operation or manoeuvre [verb (transitive)] > get between a ship and shore to cut out1748 1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson ii. iii. 141 How impossible it would prove, either to board or to cut out any vessel protected by a force posted on shore within pistol-shot. 1781 F. Burney Lett. Jan. After..cutting a few ships out of Torbay. 1882 R. L. Stevenson Familiar Stud. Men & Bks. 162 He could not swoop into a parlour and, in the naval phrase, ‘cut out’ a human being from that dreary port. 4. U.S., Australia and New Zealand. To detach or separate (an animal) from the herd. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > animal keeping practices general > herding, pasturing, or confining > [verb (transitive)] > cut out ride1790 shed1791 shoot1824 to run off1861 to cut out1862 cut1903 1862 E. R. Chudleigh Diary 13 Feb. (1950) i. 28 On the run all day cutting out bullocks we succeeded in yarding about 60. 1867 J. T. Thomson Rambles with Philosopher xxvi. 149 We scampered away to the pasture grounds of his cattle, in order to cut out one of the mob for slaughter. 1869 Overland Monthly Aug. 126/2 Another rides in, selects a stray brand, and ‘cuts it out’, by chasing it out with his horse. 1885 Pall Mall Gaz. 20 Mar. 3/2 The two best hands will go in and ‘cut out’ the cattle that bear the brand of their employers. 1887 Scribner's Mag. 2 508 Cut out, to separate an animal from the herd. †5. To exclude, debar (from); = to cut off at Phrasal verbs. Obsolete. Π 1726 Bp. J. Butler 15 Serm. iv. 69 They in a Manner cut themselves out from all Advantage of Conversation. 6. To get in front of a rival so as to intervene between him and success, or take the first place from him; to out-do, supplant in preference.A driver or rider who ‘cuts in’, cuts out some one else. ΘΠ the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > outdoing or surpassing > outdo or surpass [verb (transitive)] overstyeOE overshinec1175 overgoc1225 passc1225 surmountc1369 forpassc1374 overmatcha1375 overpassa1382 to pass overa1393 overcomec1400 outpass?a1425 exceedc1425 precedec1425 superexcelc1429 transcendc1430 precel?a1439 outcut1447 overgrowc1475 to come over ——a1479 excel1493 overleapa1500 vanquish1533 outweigh1534 prevent1540 better1548 preferc1550 outgo1553 surpassa1555 exsuperate1559 cote1566 overtop1567 outrun1575 outstrip1579 outsail1580 overruna1586 pre-excel1587 outbid1589 outbrave1589 out-cote1589 top1590 outmatch1593 outvie1594 superate1595 surbravec1600 oversile1608 over-height1611 overstride1614 outdoa1616 outlustrea1616 outpeera1616 outstrikea1616 outrival1622 antecede1624 out-top1624 antecell1625 out-pitch1627 over-merit1629 outblazea1634 surmatch1636 overdoa1640 overact1643 outact1644 worst1646 overspana1657 outsoar1674 outdazzle1691 to cut down1713 ding1724 to cut out1738 cap1821 by-pass1848 overtower1850 pretergress1851 outray1876 outreach1879 cut1884 outperform1937 outrate1955 one-up1963 the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > mastery or superiority > have or gain mastery or superiority over [verb (transitive)] > get ahead of to get of ——1548 to get (also have) the start of1569 to get (also gain) a march (up)on1707 to cut out1738 1738 in T. Birch Hist. Acct. Life Milton in J. Milton Compl. Wks. I. 48 This man [sc. Milton] cuts us all out, and the Antients too. 1845 Ld. Houghton Let. in T. W. Reid Life Ld. Houghton (1890) I. viii. 355 The King of the French has lent all the Crown jewels to the duchess, so she will quite cut our Queen out. 1848 W. M. Thackeray Bk. Snobs (1881) 220 He cut out all the other suitors of the duchess. 7. To deprive, do out of. ΘΠ the mind > possession > loss > taking away > take away [verb (transitive)] > deprive (of) benimc890 to do of ——eOE bedealc1000 disturbc1230 bereavec1275 reave?a1300 acquitc1300 benemec1300 deprivec1330 privea1382 subvertc1384 oppressc1395 abridgea1400 to bate of, from1399 lessa1400 nakena1400 dischargea1425 privatec1425 to bring outa1450 abatec1450 sever?1507 spulyie?1507 denude1513 disable1529 distrain1530 destituec1540 destitutec1540 defalk1541 to turn out of ——1545 discomfit1548 wipe1549 nude1551 disannul?a1556 bereft1557 diminish1559 benoom1563 joint1573 uncase1583 rid1585 disarm1590 visitc1592 ease1600 dispatch1604 unfurnisha1616 rig1629 retrench1640 unbecomea1641 disentail1641 cashier1690 twin1722 mulct1748 fordo1764 to do out of ——1796 to cut out1815 bate1823 deprivate1832 devoid1878 1815 W. Scott Guy Mannering I. ii. 20 The apprizer..cut the family out of another monstrous cantle of their remaining property. 1860 A. L. Windsor Ethica iii. 136 Cutting him out of his annual butt of sack. †8. To divide for distribution. Obsolete. Π 1633 D. Rogers Treat. Two Sacraments Gospell i. 142 By vertue of Christ cut out and divided to thee. 9. To excavate, carve out; to form by excavation or carving. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > sculpture or carving > sculpt or carve [verb (transitive)] behewc1314 entailc1394 chisel1517 to cut out1548 insculp1578 cut1600 sculpturea1684 sculp1784 sculpt1864 under-carve1904 the world > space > shape > unevenness > condition or fact of receding > hollowness > make hollow [verb (transitive)] > form by hollowing out sink?a1425 to cut out1548 void?1578 cut1634 hollow1648 to work out1774 excavate1839 tunnel1856 1548 Petit. of Sandwich in Boys Sandwich (1792) 735 To authorize the said mayor..and inhabitants..to cut out, newe erect and make one newe cutt into their said haven. a1648 Ld. Herbert Life (1976) 47 The wholle Forrest..was cutt out into Long walks euery way. 1659 D. Pell Πελαγος 159 To what end the Lord did cut out all those Harbours, Creeks, Chanels. 1726 G. Shelvocke Voy. round World iv. 160 [They] saw the word Magee..and Capt. John cut out under it upon a tree. 10. To fashion or shape by cutting (out of a piece). ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > tailor or make clothes [verb (transitive)] > cut out shape?c1225 to cut out1551 the world > space > shape > shape or give shape to [verb (transitive)] > by or as by cutting > out of a piece to cut out1551 1551 T. Wilson Rule of Reason sig. Lj Although one haue..cloth, yet can he not haue the vse of it, excepte the tailer cutte it out. 1696 J. F. Merchant's Ware-house 38 How to cut out a Shift out of two Ells of Holland. 1891 E. Peacock Narcissa Brendon II. 108 She..could cut out men's shirts. 1891 E. Peacock Narcissa Brendon II. 110 She could cut out much better than the ladies themselves. 11. figurative. To form, fashion, shape, to carve out. Π 1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II ii. iii. 143 To..Be his owne caruer, and cut out his way, To finde out right wyth wrong. View more context for this quotation a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) iv. iv. 380 By th'patterne of mine owne thoughts, I cut out The puritie of his. View more context for this quotation 1801 M. Edgeworth Forester in Moral Tales I. 233 You..expect every..man to be just cut out upon the pattern of..Henry. 1842 S. Lover Handy Andy xix. 174 I thought it was manners to cut out my behaviour on your pattern. 12. figurative. To plan; to prepare (work to be done). to have (all) one's work cut out: see work n. Phrases 2a. ΘΠ the mind > will > intention > planning > plan [verb (transitive)] forethinkc897 bethinka1225 compass1297 contrivec1330 ordain1340 conjectc1380 imaginec1380 cast1382 ordaina1387 advisec1400 forecast1413 imagec1450 ordainc1450 project1477 foreminda1535 invent1539 aimc1540 practise1550 plat1556 trive1573 meditate1582 patterna1586 plot1589 platform1592 design1594 chew1600 forelay1605 to map out1618 to cut out1619 agitate1629 laya1631 plod1631 cut1645 calculate1654 concert1702 to scheme out1716 plan1718 model1725 to rough out1738 to lay out1741 plan1755 prethink1760 shape1823 programme1834 pre-plan1847 encompass1882 target1948 the world > action or operation > doing > activity or occupation > be occupied or busy (in or at something) [verb (intransitive)] > be fully occupied to have one's hands fulla1470 to have (all) one's work cut out1866 1619 in S. R. Gardiner Lett. Relations Eng. & Germany (1868) 2nd Ser. 68 How they may by..ill affected subjects cutt us out newe worke in Ireland and Scotland. 1754 A. Murphy Gray's Inn Jrnl. No. 98. ⁋5 The excessive Officiousness of the female World in cutting out Matches. 1795 E. Burke Lett. Peace Regic. France iv. (ad fin.), in Wks. (1818) IX. 126 They will cut out work for one another, and France will cut out work for them all. 1866 T. Carlyle Inaug. Addr. Edinb. 174 The most unhappy of all men is the man..who has got no work cut out for him in the world. 13. a. To form or fashion by nature (for a particular purpose). (Usually in past participle) ΘΠ the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > suitability or appropriateness > suitable or appropriate [phrase] > suited for to cut out1645 1645 J. Bond Occasus Occidentalis 61 It was a Country by scituation..cut out for safety. 1708 Dr. Smith in T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. 23 Dec. You seeme as it were to bee cut out for those studyes. a1715 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Own Time (1724) I. 287 He was not cut out for a Court. 1874 F. C. Burnand My Time xiv. 115 She was cut out for a clergyman's wife. †b. To fix upon (for a purpose). Obsolete. ΘΠ the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > types of choice > choose in specific way [verb (transitive)] > select from a number or for a purpose markOE to choose out1297 out-trya1325 cullc1330 welec1330 try1340 walea1350 coil1399 drawa1400 to mark outa1450 electa1513 sorta1535 prick1536 exempta1538 select1567 sort1597 to gather out1611 single1629 delibate1660 to cut out1667 outlooka1687 draught1714 draft1724 to tell off1727 1667 S. Pepys Diary 2 Sept. (1974) VIII. 419 They told me both..that they had long cut me out for Secretary to the Duke of York. †14. to cut it out: to flaunt, make a show, cut a dash. Obsolete. ΘΠ the mind > emotion > pride > ostentation > make ostentatious display or show off [verb (intransitive)] brandishc1340 ruffle1484 braga1556 swash1556 flourish1563 flaunt1566 prank1567 prink1573 to shake, wag the feather1581 peacockize1598 air1605 display1608 to launch it out1608 flasha1616 to cut it out1619 flare1633 vapour1652 peacock1654 spark1676 to gallantrize it1693 bosh1709 glare1712 to cut a bosh1726 to show away1728 to figure away, off1749 parade1749 to cut a dashc1771 dash1786 to cut up1787 to cut a flash1795 to make, or cut, a splash1804 swank1809 to come out strong1825 to cut a spludge1831 to cut it (too) fat1836 pavonize1838 splurge1844 to do the grand1847 to cut a swath1848 to cut a splurge1860 to fan out1860 spread1860 skyre1871 fluster1876 to strut one's stuff1926 showboat1937 floss1938 style1968 1619 J. Dyke Counterpoison 39 They must flaunt, and cut it out in apparell, furniture [etc.]. 1679 G. Rose tr. P. Boaistuau Theatre of World ii. 149 Cutting it out in their Silks, Perfumes, and Embroideries. 15. intransitive. To admit of being cut out into shape. ΘΠ the world > space > shape > have (specific) shape [verb (intransitive)] > admit of being cut to shape to cut out1829 1829 Bone Manure: Rep. Doncaster Comm. Agric. Assoc. 31 The whole [manure]..will cut out like a jelly. 1850 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 11 i. 139 Hay never cuts out so well as when it has been stacked from the field as fast as made. 16. intransitive (originally passive). Cards. To come out of or be excluded from a game (of whist) by cutting an unfavourable card; done in order to allow another player or players to cut in. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > whist > play whist [verb (intransitive)] > actions or tactics finesse1742 to cut in1760 to cut out1771 to save one's pomp1788 to have the call1863 peter1887 cross-ruff1958 1771 Hist. Sir W. Harrington (1797) II. 216 My Lord and I, happening to be cut out at the same time at whist. 1780 F. Burney Let. June in Early Jrnls. & Lett. (2003) IV. 162 Mrs. Grenville, having Cut out at Cards..approached us. 1810 Sporting Mag. 36 122 With the same pleasure that a gentleman who has cut out returns to a rubber. ?1870 F. Hardy & J. R. Ware Mod. Hoyle 5 [article Whist] The fifth and sixth players..have the right to cut into the game when a rubber has been completed by the first four players. This operation is effected by two players cutting out. Cutting out..the players cut and the highest go out, whether two or one. 17. To finish shearing. Also in extended use: transitive, to finish; intransitive, to come to an end. Australian and New Zealand. ΚΠ 1890 Argus (Melbourne) 20 Sept. 13/6 When the stations ‘cut out’, as the term for finishing is. 1896 H. Lawson In Days when World was Wide (1900) 47 The cheque was spent that the shearer earned, and the sheds were all cut out. 1919 W. H. Downing Digger Dial. 18 Cut-out (vb.), cease. 1925 R. Rees Lake of Enchantment vi. 94 If they could ‘cut out’ (or in other words get all their shearing over) by the end of the week. ?a1927 F. S. Anthony Follow Call (1936) xiii. 156 I've never been able to save a cent since I cut out the roll I made with you. 1933 Bulletin (Sydney) 31 May 38/3 Tomorrow they would cut out the last of the sheep and the men would be paid off. 1941 S. J. Baker Pop. Dict. Austral. Slang 21 To cut out,..to complete any task. 1948 Landfall 2 123 After the flax cut out and the mill moved on. 1959 H. P. Tritton Time means Tucker iv. 29/1 The last sheep was shorn, the bell rang, the whistle blew and Charlton was cut out. 1963 A. Lubbock Austral. Roundabout 157 The great mines in Victoria..began to cut out..but the miners often remained in the district. 18. transitive. To disconnect or switch off (an electric circuit, etc.). Also intransitive, to switch off; to cease operating. ΘΠ the world > action or operation > ceasing > cease activity [verb (intransitive)] > specifically of things, actions, or processes > specifically of a machine or mechanism standc1175 to run down1665 stop1789 seize1878 to go phut1888 to cut out1910 conk1917 cut1938 trip out1940 phut1959 the world > action or operation > ceasing > cease from (an action or operation) [verb (transitive)] > cause to cease or put a stop to > cause (a thing) to cease action > specific electricity or a motor kill1886 to cut out1910 to turn off1921 cut1938 1910 Chambers's Jrnl. May 350/1 By means of a switch near the keyboard the organist can cut the motor in and out as desired. 1912 Chambers's Jrnl. Aug. 556/2 The dynamo is cut out automatically. 1917 Blackwood's Mag. May 804/1 We continued in a westerly direction, with one cylinder still cutting out. 1924 A. W. Judge Mod. Motor Cars III. 75 Which causes the hammer to vibrate and to cut-out the battery circuit. 1926 H. H. U. Cross Electric Lighting (ed. 4) 264 When the gears are fully enmeshed, the electro-magnet is..cut out by a disconnecting switch. 1928 Motor Man. (ed. 27) 110 When the dynamo speed falls below a certain minimum the device cuts out or opens the charging circuit. 1930 Daily Express 16 Aug. 5/5 When aero engines were much more liable to cut out and force one down in isolated places. 1935 Jrnl. Royal Aeronaut. Soc. 39 472 There is a danger of the engine cutting out during take-off. to cut over 1. intransitive. To run or pass across: see 17. ΘΠ society > travel > [verb (intransitive)] > pass straight through or across cut1551 to cut over1551 cleave1655 1551 [see sense 17]. 1576 [see sense 17]. 2. transitive. To cut down the trees or bushes growing over (an area); to pass over cutting. Π 1789 Trans. Soc. Arts (ed. 2) 1 171 By the time the whole four acres had been cut over. 1889 W. Schlich Man. Forestry I. 10 The trees consist of stool shoots or root suckers which are cut over periodically. 3. To strike a person sharply over some part of the body with a weapon or missile; mostly passive: e.g. to be struck over the legs at hockey, to be struck or hurt by the ball at cricket; to be wounded. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > stroke with weapon > strike with a weapon [verb (transitive)] areach1014 maulc1225 hitc1275 smitec1275 reachc1330 strike1377 to cut over1867 the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > strike with specific thing [verb (transitive)] > strike with an object > sharply to cut over1867 1867 John Lillywhite's Cricketers' Compan. (ed. 23) 12 You will..prevent yourself from being cut over in that part which takes all the batting out of you. 1874 G. W. Dasent Half a Life I. 122 [At hockey] Now mind you look out..or you'll be cut over. 1890 R. Kipling Wee Willie Winkie 66 If he lives, he writes Home that he has been ‘potted’, ‘sniped’, ‘chipped’, or ‘cut over’. 1893 Cricket Field 29 July 304 He was cut over twice in rapid succession owing to inequalities in the ground, and inaccuracies in the bowlers. 4. To cut down, throw over with a slashing blow. Π 1884 J. Colborne With Hicks Pasha in Soudan 153 The officer cut over the first with a blow on his neck. to cut under To cut out by underselling. colloquial. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > selling > sell [verb (intransitive)] > undersell in price to cut under1859 1859 J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms (ed. 2) To cut under, to undersell in price. New York. 1874 H. Mayhew London Characters 469 (Farmer) The spirit of competition on the part of the masters—the same universal desire to cut under. to cut up 1. transitive. To cut so as to take or get up; to root up by cutting; also figurative. ΘΠ the world > space > place > removal or displacement > extraction > extract [verb (transitive)] > root out or up > by cutting to cut up1602 1602 J. Marston Hist. Antonio & Mellida iv. sig. F4^v Rootes, rootes? alas, they are seeded, new cut vp. 1611 Bible (King James) Job xxx. 4 Who cut vp mallowes by the bushes. View more context for this quotation 1690 J. Locke Two Treat. Govt. i. xi This doctrine cuts up all government by the roots. 1767 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. (new ed.) II. 15 The law has therefore wisely cut up the root of dissension. 1839 Morning Herald 28 Aug. The gum trade..is nearly cut up by the roots. 2. To cut in pieces; to divide into parts by cutting, to carve; to cut open. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation for table or cooking > preparation of meat > dress animals for food [verb (transitive)] > carve shearc1330 unlacec1400 smitea1500 carve1529 to cut up1574 cuta1616 the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > action of dividing or divided condition > division by cutting > divide by cutting [verb (transitive)] > cut into pieces snithec725 chop?a1400 culpec1430 gobbonc1440 gobbeta1450 culpon1508 to cut up1574 share1577 junk1776 1574 J. Baret Aluearie C 1737 Cut vp: or winne these partriges. 1611 T. Middleton & T. Dekker Roaring Girle sig. G^v No wilde foule to cut vp but mine? 1847 F. Marryat Children of New Forest I. iii. 44 Now I'll cut up the onions, for they will make your eyes water. 1885 Illustr. London News 10 Oct. 362 Every lady and gentleman was instructed how to cut up a turkey, capon or bustard. 3. figurative. To divide into parts, destroy the continuity of; to destroy or mar irretrievably. Π 1813 L. Hunt in Examiner 19 Apr. 242/2 His night's sleep had been cut up. 1817 Faraday in B. Jones Life & Lett. (1870) I. 248 My time is just now so closely cut up. 1864 J. H. Burton Scot Abroad I. iii. 123 They will very soon cut up and destroy all we have in this country. 4. To overcome with great slaughter, ‘cut to pieces’: see 7c. ΘΠ society > armed hostility > victory > make victorious [verb (transitive)] > conquer or overcome overcomeeOE shendc893 awinc1000 overwinOE overheaveOE to lay downa1225 mate?c1225 discomfitc1230 win1297 dauntc1300 cumber1303 scomfit1303 fenkc1320 to bear downc1330 confoundc1330 confusec1330 to do, put arrear1330 oversetc1330 vanquishc1330 conquerc1374 overthrowc1375 oppressc1380 outfighta1382 to put downa1382 discomfortc1384 threshc1384 vencuea1400 depressc1400 venque?1402 ding?a1425 cumrayc1425 to put to (also at, unto) the (also one's) worsec1425 to bring or put to (or unto) utterance1430 distrussc1430 supprisec1440 ascomfita1450 to do stress?c1450 victorya1470 to make (win) a conquest1477 convanquish1483 conquest1485 defeat1485 oversailc1485 conques1488 discomfish1488 fulyie1488 distress1489 overpress1489 cravent1490 utter?1533 to give (a person) the overthrow1536 debel1542 convince1548 foil1548 out-war1548 profligate1548 proflige?c1550 expugnate1568 expugn1570 victor1576 dismay1596 damnify1598 triumph1605 convict1607 overman1609 thrash1609 beat1611 debellate1611 import1624 to cut to (or in) pieces1632 maitrise1636 worst1636 forcea1641 outfight1650 outgeneral1767 to cut up1803 smash1813 slosh1890 ream1918 hammer1948 1803 Duke of Wellington in Marquess Wellesley Select. Despatches (1877) 787 A parcel of stragglers cut up our wounded. 1821 V. Blacker Mahratta War i. ix. 155 (note) The body of cavalry..employed to cut up the column of infantry. 5. To cut, hack, or gash the surface of irregularly; to damage by or as by cutting. ΘΠ the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > cutting > cut [verb (transitive)] > cut roughly in order to damage hacka1200 mangle1528 hackle1564 behack1565 to rip up1567 to cut upa1592 hash1591 bemangle1601 hagglea1616 hacker1807 snag1811 butch1834 a1592 H. Smith Serm. (1622) 301 Like the plough, which cutteth up the ground that it may receive the seed. 1765 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy VIII. xx. 90 The roads which were terribly cut up. 1826 W. Hone Every-day Bk. (1827) II. 104 The ice..was much cut up. 1859 All Year Round 23 July 306 The ground was..much cut up between wickets. †6. To whip up, to incite with the whip. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > travel > transport > riding on horse (or other animal) > ride (a horse or other animal) [verb (transitive)] > urge on > with whip whip1587 to cut up1756 1756 T. Amory Life John Buncle I. 282 My horse was as good..and I cut him up, and pricked him over the turf. 7. figurative. To censure, criticize, or review with destructive severity. ΘΠ the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > criticism > criticize [verb (transitive)] > severely to be sharp upon1561 crossbite1571 scarify1582 canvass1590 maul1592 slasha1652 fib1665 to be severe on (or upon)1672 scalp1676 to pull to (or in) pieces1703 roast1710 to cut up1762 tomahawk1815 to blow sky-high1819 row1826 excoriate1833 scourge1835 target1837 slate1848 scathe1852 to take apart1880 soak1892 pan1908 burn1914 slam1916 sandbag1919 to put the blast on (someone)1929 to tear down1938 clobber1944 handbag1952 rip1961 monster1976 1762 O. Goldsmith Citizen of World I. 73 The book-answerers..when they have cut up some respectable name. 1782 F. Burney Cecilia IV. vii. ix. 139 May be..its out of bashfulness: perhaps he thinks we shall cut him up. 1784 R. Bage Barham Downs II. 228 The conversation fell naturally..upon Miss Whittaker's affair, and Lord Winterbottom was cut up..without mercy. 1860 G. A. Sala Lady Chesterfield's Lett. 55 [The reviewer] savagely cutting up people's books or pictures. 8. To wound deeply the feelings of; to distress greatly. (Usually in passive) ΘΠ the mind > emotion > suffering > mental anguish or torment > cause of mental anguish or torment > cause anguish to or torment [verb (transitive)] quelmeOE eatc1000 martyrOE fretc1175 woundc1175 to-fret?c1225 gnawc1230 to-traya1250 torment1297 renda1333 anguish1340 grindc1350 wringc1374 debreakc1384 ofpinec1390 rivea1400 urn1488 reboil1528 whip1530 cruciate1532 pinch1548 spur-galla1555 agonize1570 rack1576 cut1582 excruciate1590 scorchc1595 discruciate1596 butcher1597 split1597 torture1598 lacerate1600 harrow1603 hell1614 to eat upa1616 arrow1628 martyrize1652 percruciate1656 tear1666 crucify1702 flay1782 wrench1798 kill1800 to cut up1843 1843 C. Dickens Christmas Carol i. 2 Scrooge was not so dreadfully cut up by the sad event. 1876 F. E. Trollope Charming Fellow II. ix. 127 I believe he was dreadfully cut up at my going away. †9. to cut up short: to cut short, interrupt. ΘΠ the world > action or operation > ceasing > cease from (an action or operation) [verb (transitive)] > cause to cease or put a stop to > suddenly or abruptly (an action or person) break1330 to break offc1340 to take up1530 to cut off1576 stunt1603 to cut up short1607 to cut short1611 pawl1797 to sew up1837 to stop short1837 burst1842 to pull up1861 1607 S. Hieron Worth Water of Life in Wks. (1620) I. 197 Shee, beeing..something a shrewd-tongued woman, by and by cut Him vp short. 10. To share (plunder), to divide. slang. ΚΠ 1779 R. Cumberland Wheel of Fort. iv. iii. (Farmer). A gentleman who trusts to servants in his absence is sure to be cut up.] 1879 Macmillan's Mag. 40 505 (Farmer) We had between sixty and seventy quid to cut up. 11. intransitive. To admit of being cut up or divided, to turn out as to amount of fortune; apparently originally a butcher's phrase; said of a person after his death. slang. ΘΚΠ society > law > legal right > right of possession or ownership > right to succeed to title, position, or estate > succession > descend by succession [verb (intransitive)] > be worth when dead to cut up1782 1782 F. Burney Cecilia III. vi. ii. 232 Pray, how does he cut up? what has he left behind him? 1792 E. Gibbon Misc. Wks. (1814) I. 366 Geneva would cut up as fat as most towns in Europe. 1796 E. Burke Let. to Noble Lord 69 Their only question will be that of..some other of their legislative butchers, How he cuts up? 1831 B. Disraeli Young Duke III. iv. vii. 64 ‘You think him rich?’ ‘Oh! he will cut up very large!’ said the Baron. 1848 W. M. Thackeray Bk. Snobs vii. 29 The old banker died in course of time, and..‘cut up’ prodigiously well. 12. to cut up rough, rusty, savage, etc.: (intransitive) to become angry or quarrelsome. colloquial. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > anger > [verb (intransitive)] > become angry wrethec900 wrothc975 abelghec1300 to move one's blood (also mood)c1330 to peck moodc1330 gremec1460 to take firea1513 fumec1522 sourdc1540 spitec1560 to set up the heckle1601 fire1604 exasperate1659 to fire up1779 to flash up1822 to get one's dander up1831 to fly (occasionally jump, etc.) off (at) the handle1832 to have (also get) one's monkey up1833 to cut up rough, rusty, savage1837 rile1837 to go off the handle1839 to flare up1840 to set one's back up1845 to run hot1855 to wax up1859 to get one's rag out1862 blow1871 to get (also have) the pricker1871 to turn up rough1872 to get the needle1874 to blaze up1878 to get wet1898 spunk1898 to see red1901 to go crook1911 to get ignorant1913 to hit the ceiling1914 to hit the roof1921 to blow one's top1928 to lose one's rag1928 to lose one's haira1930 to go up in smoke1933 hackle1935 to have, get a cob on1937 to pop (also blow) one's cork1938 to go hostile1941 to go sparec1942 to do one's bun1944 to lose one's wool1944 to blow one's stack1947 to go (also do) one's (also a) dingerc1950 rear1953 to get on ignorant1956 to go through the roof1958 to keep (also blow, lose) one's cool1964 to lose ita1969 to blow a gasket1975 to throw a wobbler1985 society > society and the community > dissent > quarrel or quarrelling > quarrel [verb (intransitive)] > be quarrelsome > become quarrelsome to cut up rough, rusty, savage1837 to turn up rough1872 1837 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers xlii. 462 I may say I von't pay, and cut up rough. 1850 W. M. Thackeray Pendennis II. xii. 114 Hang it, you cut up quite savage. 1873 W. Black Princess of Thule vii. 107 Now, Ingram,..don't cut up rough about it. 13. To cut a dash; show off; to behave (in a specified way); to behave badly or indecorously. U.S. colloquial. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > behave badly [verb (intransitive)] misbehave1703 misdemean1765 to go on1778 to cut up1787 perform1891 to act out1913 the mind > emotion > pride > ostentation > make ostentatious display or show off [verb (intransitive)] brandishc1340 ruffle1484 braga1556 swash1556 flourish1563 flaunt1566 prank1567 prink1573 to shake, wag the feather1581 peacockize1598 air1605 display1608 to launch it out1608 flasha1616 to cut it out1619 flare1633 vapour1652 peacock1654 spark1676 to gallantrize it1693 bosh1709 glare1712 to cut a bosh1726 to show away1728 to figure away, off1749 parade1749 to cut a dashc1771 dash1786 to cut up1787 to cut a flash1795 to make, or cut, a splash1804 swank1809 to come out strong1825 to cut a spludge1831 to cut it (too) fat1836 pavonize1838 splurge1844 to do the grand1847 to cut a swath1848 to cut a splurge1860 to fan out1860 spread1860 skyre1871 fluster1876 to strut one's stuff1926 showboat1937 floss1938 style1968 1787 Generous Attachment i. 89 A couple of plough boys..would do, when properly dressed, and cut it up..as well as the best. 1859 A. Moore Notes Plymouth Pulpit: Coll. Passages H. W. Beecher 201 I believe I never did cut up so bad any one week as I did that week. 1862 J. R. Lowell Biglow Papers 2nd Ser. i. 13 It ain't no use to argerfy ner try to cut up frisky. 1888 Howells Likely Story in Harper's Mag. Dec. 26 If you dare to touch them, I'll ring for Jane, and then she'll see you cutting up. 14. Sport slang. To ‘behave’ (badly, etc.) in a race or competition. ΚΠ 1883 Scotsman 11 July 18/1 He cut up badly and can have no chance for the Cup. 1883 Illustr. London News 12 May 463/2 (Farmer) Export again cut up wretchedly in the Burwell Stakes. 15. transitive. With caper, shines, etc.: to behave in a mischievous or frolicsome manner. U.S. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > frolicking or romping > frolic [verb (intransitive)] floxec1200 ragea1275 to dance antics1545 rig1570 to keep (also play) reaks1573 wanton1582 wantonize1592 frolic1593 wantonize1611 hoit1613 mird?c1625 to play about1638 freak1663 romp1665 rump1680 ramp1735 jinket1742 skylark1771 to cut up1775 rollick1786 hoity-toity1790 fun1802 lark1813 gammock1832 haze1848 marlock1863 train1877 horse1901 mollock1932 spadger1939 grab-ass1957 1775 in Narragansett Hist. Reg. (1885) Apr. 263 A man that was in company there the evening before that cut up a caper. 1846 D. Corcoran Pickings 28 He vas cutting up all kinds of extra shines.. like these here theatric fellers. 1847 ‘H. Franco’ Trippings Tom Pepper I. vi. 43 Let me catch him cutting up any monkey shines in this house, and I'll bea[n] him! a1848 Knickerbocker A wild bull of the prairies was cutting up shines at no great distance, tearing up the sod with hoofs and horns. 1851 N.Y. Tribune 10 Apr. in J. S. Farmer Americanisms (1889) We should have had just the same didoes cut up by the chivalry. 1903 A. D. McFaul Ike Glidden in Maine ii. 11 It was not Ike that cut up the mischief this time. 1945 S. Lewis Cass Timberlane (1946) xvii. 102 People recognizing you and staring at you cutting up monkey~shines! 16. To conduct or manage (a contest) fraudulently. Sport slang. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > collusion, intrigue > conspire against [verb (transitive)] > manage fraudulently to frame up1891 to cut up1923 bend1960 1923 Daily Mail 16 Jan. 7 Georges Carpentier, M. Descamps, his manager, and M. Hellers, the manager of the coloured boxer Siki, have been acquitted by the French Boxing Federation of having arranged and ‘cut up’ the fight in which Siki was declared victor. 1923 Weekly Disp. 13 May 7 I read in newspapers now that more than half the races under National Hunt rules are cut up, and that jockeys and trainers are out to rob the public. 17. intransitive. Of the surface of the ground: to become broken up irregularly. ΘΠ the world > the earth > land > ground > [verb (intransitive)] > become rough to cut up1891 1891 W. G. Grace Cricket iii. 70 Snow had fallen during the day, and the wicket cut up badly. 1909 Moa Flat Estate 36 Six-ton loads went through..before the roads ‘cut up’ and would not bear traffic. 18. to cut up (old) touches: to gossip or reminisce. U.S. slang. ΚΠ 1931 D. Runyon Guys & Dolls (1932) viii. 180 They are cutting up old touches. 1931 D. Runyon Guys & Dolls (1932) xiii. 281 Having a drink together..and..cutting up old touches of the time when they run with the Hudson Dusters together. 1941 New Yorker 1 Nov. 27/3 He and Dutch would get together and cut up touches. 19. To cut in front of (another vehicle or its driver), esp. causing it to brake or take other evasive action; to pass recklessly or illegally. colloquial. ΘΚΠ society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > drive a vehicle [verb (transitive)] > drive a motor vehicle > overtake > and cut in front of to cut up1939 1939 H. Hodge Cab, Sir? xv. 219 To ‘cut a man up’ means much the same as the more official driving term ‘cutting in’. 1975 Observer 11 May 1/4 They drove up the inside of a line of traffic waiting to turn right into Ley Road. One of the vehicles they ‘cut up’ turned out to be a ‘nondescript’ (unmarked) police van. Compounds a. With object noun, = ‘that which or he who cuts…’ as cut-air, cut-beard, cut-caper, cut-girdle, cut-nose; cutpurse n., cut-throat n., cutwater n. Π a1661 B. Holyday tr. Juvenal Satyres (1673) 266 A cut-purse..is by Plautus..called..a cut-girdle. 1665 R. Hooke Micrographia 174 The biggest stem of all the wing, and may be properly enough call'd the cut-air. a1678 A. Marvell Britannia & Raleigh in State Poems (1689) 8 And Commons votes shall Cut-Nose Guards disband. a1692 T. Shadwell Volunteers (1693) i. ii. 8 Her sence and breeding is fit for none but a Cut-Caper. 1767 ‘Coriat Junior’ Another Traveller! I. 39 Not one..greasy, lying, tale-bearing..newsmonger cut-beard is to be found. b. = ‘…used to cut, cutting’, as cut-whip, cut-grass n. Π 1887 Pall Mall Gaz. 5 Aug. 3/1 A light, thin, supple whalebone cut whip. Draft additions January 2002 transitive. slang (originally and chiefly U.S.). To manage, cope with, perform, or accomplish (something). Chiefly in to cut it: to succeed, to deal with something effectively; to meet an expected or required standard in the performance of a task, to measure up. Cf. sense 21c and to cut the mustard at mustard n. 3c. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > make a success of [verb (transitive)] shift?1533 to pass muster1573 to give a good account of (something, often oneself)1601 to hit off1700 to make a job of1736 to make a do of1834 to make a go of it1836 cut1900 the world > action or operation > ability > be capable of [verb (transitive)] > have the ability for to measure up to1854 cut1900 to have (also carry) the guns for1961 1900 C. L. Cullen Tales of Ex-tanks 62 Hello, there, pal..how're you cuttin' it this morning? 1906 Independent (N.Y.) 29 Nov. 1270/1 He can't cut that game with me. 1929 W. R. Burnett Little Caesar vi. iii. 232 ‘Listen, can't you do me a favor and get me a pack of cigs.’.. ‘Can't cut it.’ 1937 Amer. Speech 12 46 This arrangement is so tough my band can't cut it. 1975 H. Ellison Gentleman Junkie 182 He doesn't look like he can cut three, four hundred miles of hard driving and still stay alert. 1980 ‘L. Cody’ Dupe (1981) xviii. 128 She came to London to find a bit of glamour and some action, and when she got here she was afraid she couldn't cut it. 2000 Guardian (Dar es Salaam) 27 Mar. 18/1 Others were more critical of the plan. ‘The whole idea is not going to cut it,’ said opposition leader Chee Soon Juan. Draft additions September 2008 transitive. Computing. To use a function which deletes (text, graphics, etc.) from a document, esp. so as to insert a copy of it elsewhere (cf. paste v. 2c). Also intransitive. ΚΠ 1975 Business Week 30 June 82 Hit a button called ‘cut’, and the word or paragraph disappears. Punch another button labeled ‘paste’ and the paragraph or word is inserted into the text where the pointer is located. 1993 MacUser Oct. 165/2 When text is copied or cut, the creating application throws it onto the Clipboard in its native format as well as in a text-only version minus the formatting. 1997 J. Seabrook Deeper i. 29 In 1988 I bought a Mac of my own... I learned to ‘Cut’ and to ‘Paste’. 2005 N.Z. Herald (Nexis) 21 Oct. Another partner to these is Ctrl X, which cuts the text. Draft additions September 2008 to cut and paste. a. To cut out (printed material) from one document, book, etc., and paste it into another, esp. during the composition of a printed work; (in extended use) to remove and replace elsewhere. Hence: to assemble or change by these means, esp. as a quick, expedient, or perfunctory way of doing something. Π 1772 Younger Brother II. 166 This was only cutting and pasting, as I used to call it: For when I met with any passages in preceding authors that suited my present purpose, without ceremony I cut the books to pieces, and, by adding a connecting sentence or two of my own, tacked the copy together,..and sent it to the press. 1778 R. Lewis Candid Philosopher II. 187 Those honest Booksellers, who give Employment to able-bodied Compilers in cutting and pasting Papers together for their Emolument. 1832 Ariel 7 Jan. 305/1 Surrounded by..the whole of the periodical publications, he [sc. the editor]..commences the business of the day. Reading, selecting, cutting and pasting. 1884 Iowa State Reporter (Waterloo) 8 May Ex-President Hayes is said to have a more elaborate set of scrap books..than any other public man in the country... He kept one of his clerks constantly busy cutting and pasting slips from the newspapers. 1950 J. Lawler H. W. Wilson Company vi. 95 Each entry on the gummed-paper set of proofs was then cut and pasted on the corresponding piece of copy. 1976 Jrnl. Philos. 73 148 The notions of truth and of truth conditions are theoretical auxiliaries, to be cut and pasted in whatever ways give us the nicest account of the assertability conditions. 1993 Coloradoan (Fort Collins) 12 Dec. e4/1 The result was a new disease-resistant tomato, and another level of refinement in the ability to cut and paste genes. 2008 Internat. Herald Tribune (Nexis) 17 May 3 Broad sheets filled with his squarish handwriting and with revisions that were cut and pasted, like bandages, on thin strips of paper. b. Computing. To move (text, graphics, etc.) by deleting it from a document and inserting a copy of it elsewhere in a single operation. Cf. paste v. 2c. ΚΠ 1981 Computer Music Jrnl. 5 57/2 As the score is built up, its current image appears on the Dorado's screen, where it can be scrolled, cut and pasted, and amended. 1984 S. Curran Word Processing for Beginners i. 4 If you don't like that first draft, you can ‘cut and paste’ the sections, altering the order, adding new paragraphs..and so on. 1992 CU Amiga May 116/2 After positioning the text on-screen it can be cut and pasted. 2007 Your Family Tree July 68/1 Either type your text or cut and paste it from another program. Draft additions March 2019 colloquial (chiefly U.S.). to cut off more than one can chew (and variants): to undertake something which turns out to be beyond one's abilities; to be over-ambitious in one's plans; = to bite off more than one can chew at bite v. Phrasal verbs 1. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > undertaking > undertake or set oneself to do [verb (intransitive)] > undertake too much to cut off more than one can chew1869 1869 J. E. Cooke Mohun ii. v. 112 ‘Old Jeb cut off more than he could chaw, that time!’ said a veteran afterward, in describing the fight. 1884 Muscatine (Iowa) Daily Jrnl. 2 May Being admonished by the State Department that he was cutting off more than he could conveniently chew, [he]..peremptorily ceased to be any longer a part of a diplomatic service in which merit was so poorly appreciated. 1928 N.Y. Herald Tribune 15 Jan. iii. 1/3 The first modern hotel [in Kansas City] occasioned derision of the reactionaries who thought the builder was cutting off more than he could chew. 1981 Boston Globe 27 Jan. 54/1 The Cambridge City Council cut off more than it could chew, it appears, when it recently proposed a series of tax measures aimed at..businesses. 2014 @smorts829 21 Feb. in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) Definitely cut off more than I can chew with this degree. Draft additions January 2002 intransitive. Originally U.S. to cut to the chase [compare sense 21e] : (a) Film to cut to a chase scene; (hence) to cut to an interesting or fast-paced part of a film; (b) colloquial to get to the point, to get on with it; to concentrate on the essential elements of an issue, etc.; frequently imperative. ΚΠ 1929 J. P. McEvoy Hollywood Girl 106 Jannings escapes... Cut to chase. 1955 F. Scully Cross my Heart xxix. 341 I am the sort who wants to ‘cut to the chase’ As far as I'm concerned, we can read the instructions later. 1979 Newsweek (Nexis) 13 Aug. 73 ‘Would you or would you not be interested in perhaps a bit of hypothetical conversation?’.. ‘Please delete the “hypothetical” part and cut to the chase.’ 1981 N.Y. Times 6 Nov. c13 Darryl Zanuck used to tell film makers, ‘If you're in trouble, cut to the chase.’ 1991 C. Hiaasen Native Tongue (1992) viii. 83 Cut to the chase... What the hell is it you want us to do? 1999 Marketing 16 Dec. 14/3 Stop bullshitting and cut to the chase. Draft additions April 2011 North American slang. to cut the cheese: to break wind. J. E. Lighter Hist. Dict. Amer. Slang (1994) I 547/1 records an oral use from 1959. ΚΠ 1972 G. Lucas et al. Amer. Graffiti (film script) 56 Ants. Okay, who cut the cheese? Bean. He who smelt it, dealt it! 1980 National Lampoon Oct. 48/1 If I was still in the mood for fun, I'd call our minister and cut the cheese. 1999 New Yorker 20 Sept. 74 He gives me this look, like, Who cut the cheese? 2006 J. Patrick Secret Passions 48 She cut the cheese not once but upon three distinct occasions. It took all my concentration and energy not to burst into a fit of laughter. Draft additions June 2020 colloquial (originally North American). a. to cut a cheque: to fill out or write a cheque to pay for something; (also more generally) to pay out money.Probably arising from the practice of cutting or tearing individual cheques from a chequebook. Π 1974 Benton (Arkansas) Courier 18 Mar. 2/2 Mrs. Downing had personally solicited the money each year for the [Christmas] lights and had cut a check of her own every year to defray the expense. 2001 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 18 Oct. b10/2 She noted how quickly the government ‘cut a $15 billion bailout check’ for the airlines. b. to cut (a person) a cheque: to fill out or write a cheque to (a person); (also more generally) to pay money to. Π 1980 Pop. Sci. Dec. 144/1 (advt.) Send us back the unit and we'll cut you a check as soon as it arrives. 1995 National (Canad. Bar Assoc.) June 28/2 Within the next two weeks, your client should cut him a cheque for $6,000. 2009 Vanity Fair Feb. 146/3 He was convinced they needed large amounts of capital, and there was no way..that he could simply cut them a check without punishing their shareholders and executives. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < n.¹c1325n.²?a1400adj.c1380v.c1275
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