cut a dash or figure

To have a striking appearance

cut a deal (chiefly N American)

To make a deal

cut along (informal)

To leave, go away quickly

cut and come again

Abundant supply, from the notion of cutting a slice, and returning at will for another

cut and cover

A method of constructing a tunnel by making an open cutting, arching it over, and covering in

cut and dry or cut and dried

1. Ready made
2. Fixed beforehand, decided in advance

cut and paste

1. (in the design of page layouts for newspapers, magazines, etc) a method of arranging areas of text, illustrations, etc by cutting and sticking down with paste
2. (in word processing, DTP, etc) a technique for moving blocks of text, etc

cut and run

To be off or escape quickly

cut and thrust

1. (in fencing) the use of the edges and the point of the weapon
2. Swift, shrewd and cleverly-calculated action or reaction, argument, etc (cut-and-thrustˈ adjective)

cut back

1. To prune close to the stem
2. To revert to a previous scene
3. To reduce (expenditure, etc)

cut both ways

(of a decision, action, situation, etc) to have or result in both advantages and disadvantages

cut corners

1. To turn corners by the quickest way, not keeping close to the edge of the road
2. To do something (eg a piece of work) with the minimum of effort and expenditure and therefore often imperfectly

cut dead

To refuse to recognize or acknowledge (another person)

cut down

1. To bring down by cutting
2. To reduce, curtail
3. To maim or kill

cut down to size

To cause (a person) to feel less important or to be less conceited

cut from the same cloth

Very similar in nature

cut in

1. To interpose
2. (of an electrical device) to begin working automatically
3. To deprive someone of a dancing partner
4. To intercept on the telephone
5. To manoeuvre into a line of traffic in front of an overtaken vehicle, etc, esp without adequate warning or indication
6. To come into a game by cutting a card
7. To give a share

cut it (slang)

To succeed or manage

cut it fine

To take risks by leaving insufficient margin for error

cut it out (informal)

To make an end of it, leave off

cut it too fat

To overdo a thing

cut loose

To break free from constraints

cut no ice see under ice

cut off

1. To sever
2. To isolate
3. To put to an end prematurely
4. To intercept
5. To stop
6. (of an electrical device) to stop working, usu automatically, esp as a safety measure
7. To disinherit

cut off with a shilling

1. To bequeath only a shilling
2. To disinherit

cut one's coat according to one's cloth

To adapt oneself to (esp financial) circumstances

cut one's losses

To have done with an unprofitable venture

cut one's stick

To take one's departure

cut one's teeth (on) (informal)

1. To gain experience (by means of)
2. To practise (on)

cut out

1. To shape
2. To contrive
3. To debar
4. To block (light, etc)
5. To supplant
6. To separate from a herd
7. To pass out of a game on cutting a card
8. To pass out of a line of traffic in order to overtake
9. To capture and carry off (a ship) as from a harbour, etc, by getting between her and the shore
10. (of an engine) suddenly to stop functioning

cut out for

Naturally fitted for

cut short

1. To abridge
2. To make short by cutting
3. To silence by interruption

cut teeth

To have teeth grow through the gums, as an infant

cut to the chase

To get to the point

cut up

1. To cut into pieces
2. To criticize severely
3. To turn out (well or ill) when divided into parts
4. (in passive) to be deeply distressed
5. To make jokes, play tricks or behave in a boisterous manner (N American)
6. To drive recklessly in front of (another vehicle) causing danger to it (slang)

cut up rough

To take something amiss, become difficult or angry

draw cuts (archaic)

To cast lots

make the cut (golf)

To qualify for the final round(s) of a tournament

miss the cut (golf)

To fail to qualify for the final round(s) of a tournament

short cut see under short

figure /figˈər, also (N American and dialect) -yər or (old) figˈūr/

noun

1. The form of anything in outline
2. Appearance
3. A shape
4. A geometrical form
5. A diagram
6. A horoscope (Shakespeare)
7. A design
8. An illustration
9. Bodily shape
10. A human form or representation of it
11. A personality, personage or character
12. An impressive, noticeable, important, ludicrous or grotesque person
13. A written character denoting a number
14. Amount
15. Value or price
16. A deviation from the ordinary mode of expression (rhetoric)
17. The form of a syllogism with respect to the position of the middle term (logic)
18. A group of notes felt as a unit (music)
19. A series of steps or movements in a dance or in skating
20. An emblem

transitive verb

1. To make an image of
2. To represent
3. To mark with figures or designs
4. To imagine
5. To reckon, work out (often with out)
6. To come to understand (often with out)
7. To note by figures

intransitive verb

1. To make figures
2. To appear as a figure, make an appearance or show
3. To follow as a logical consequence, be expected (informal)
4. To form or shape (obsolete)
5. To symbolize (archaic)
6. To foreshow (obsolete)

figūrabilˈity noun

The quality of being figurable

figˈūrable adjective

figˈūral adjective

Represented by a figure or figures

figurant /figˈū-rənt/ or figurante /fēg-oo-ränˈtā/ noun (Italy)

A ballet-dancer, one of those who form a background for the solo dancers

figˈūrate adjective

1. Of a certain definite form
2. Florid (music)

figūrāˈtion noun

1. The act of giving figure or form
2. Representation by or in figures or shapes, esp significant, typical or emblematic figures
3. A figure of this kind
4. Ornamentation with a design
5. Consistent use of a particular melodic or harmonic series of notes (music)
6. Florid treatment (music)

figˈūrative adjective

1. Representing by, containing or filled with figures of speech (rhetoric)
2. Metaphorical
3. Representing a figure
4. Emblematic or symbolic
5. Of a style of painting, sculpture, etc characterized by the realistic depiction of people, objects, etc (as opposed to abstract art)

figˈūratively adverb

figˈūrativeness noun

figˈured /-ərd/ adjective

1. Having a figure
2. Marked or adorned with figures
3. Delineated in a figure
4. In the form of figures

figˈūrine /-ēn or -ēnˈ/ noun

A small carved or moulded figure

figˈurist noun

A person who uses, or interprets, by figures

figurate numbers plural noun

A series of numbers such that if each be subtracted from the next, and the series so formed be treated in the same way, by a continuation of the process equal differences will ultimately be obtained

figˈure-caster noun

1. An astrologer (obsolete)
2. A person who prepares casts of figures

figˈure-casting noun

1. Astrology (obsolete)
2. The art of preparing casts of animal or other forms

figˈure-dance noun

A dance consisting of elaborate formalized movements

figured bass noun

A bass with numerals added to indicate chords

figˈurehead noun

1. The figure or bust under the bowsprit of a ship
2. A merely nominal head, eg of an organization or a government

adjective

Nominal, but lacking real power

figˈure-hugging adjective

Denoting a tight piece of clothing which emphasizes the contours of the body

figure of eight noun see under eight

figure of fun noun

A person who is an object of ridicule

figure of merit noun (elec eng)

A general parameter which describes the quality of performance of eg an instrument or a circuit

figure of speech noun

Any of various devices (such as simile or metaphor) for using words in such a way as to make a striking effect

figure skater noun

figure skating noun

Skating in prescribed patterns on ice

figˈure-weaving noun

The weaving of figured fancy fabrics

figˈurework noun

Counting or calculation using numbers

cut a figure

To make a bold impression through one's appearance

figure on

1. To count upon or expect
2. To plan (US)

go figure (US informal)

To make an effort to understand something puzzling