CUT


Meaning of CUT in English

I. verb

COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES

a cut of meat (= a joint of meat taken from a particular part of an animal )

Cheaper cuts of meat can be tough.

a cut/reduction in expenditure

There has been a marked reduction in expenditure on some social and welfare services.

a drop/cut in salary (= a reduction in salary )

He couldn’t afford to take a drop in salary.

a newspaper clipping/cutting (= a story cut out of a newspaper )

I found some old newspaper cuttings of the band's first concert in Liverpool.

a pay cut

Staff were asked to take a 10% pay cut.

a price cut/reduction

Holiday sales were down, even with drastic price cuts.

a round of cuts (= when a government or a company reduces the size or amount of something )

The President is likely to approve a new round of cuts in military forces.

a salary cut (= a decrease in someone’s salary )

The workforce agreed to take salary cuts.

a wage reduction/cut

Those who kept their jobs had to take large wage cuts.

an engine cuts out (= stops suddenly )

The engine keeps cutting out.

be cut (free) from the wreckage

She had to be cut free from the wreckage by firemen.

be cut off by the tide (= become trapped as the sea rises )

Two anglers had to be rescued after getting cut off by the tide.

be cutting a tooth (= have one of your first teeth growing )

Poor little Patrick was cutting another tooth and we had hardly had any sleep.

break/cut/tear sth in half (= into two equal pieces )

He tore the paper in half.

budget cuts (= reductions in the amount of money that is available )

The department has suffered severe budget cuts.

cold cuts

cookie cutter

cookie cutter

the cookie cutter approach of the urban renewal programme

crew cut

cut a corner (= not go all around the edge of a corner )

I crashed into a motorcyclist who had cut the corner.

cut a deal informal (= agree a deal, especially when it is difficult or you have to accept some things you would rather not accept )

In they end, they had to cut a deal with the Communinsts.

cut a key (= make one )

Could you get a key cut for me?

cut a slice

He cut another slice of bread.

cut a swathe through

We cut a swathe through the dense undergrowth.

cut and dried

I don’t think the plan is as cut and dried as people think.

cut consumption (= reduce it )

a plan to cut energy consumption by 40%

cut down a forest

The forest was cut down to make way for housing.

cut flowers

Make cut flowers last longer by changing the water in the vase.

cut glass

a cut glass decanter

cut in line (= go in front of other people who are waiting )

He tried to cut in line .

cut off in...prime (= died while she was in her prime )

a young singer who was tragically cut off in her prime

cut off the electricity (= stop the supply of electricity )

You risk having your electricity cut off if you fail to pay the bill.

cut off/withdraw aid (= stop giving aid )

The US has threatened to cut off aid to the region.

Conditons deteriorated further as western aid was withdrawn.

cut out the middleman (= avoid using a middleman )

Buy direct from the manufacturer and cut out the middleman .

cut sb out of your will (= change your will so that someone is no longer given anything when you die )

His father cut her out of his will.

cut sb’s hair

My Mum always cuts my hair.

cut sb’s salary (= reduce someone’s salary )

They will cut salaries before they cut jobs.

cut sth into slices

Cut the orange into thin slices.

cut the apron strings

You’re 25 years old, and you still haven’t cut the apron strings .

cut the cost (= reduce it )

The government has promised to cut the cost of medical care.

cut the crap (= used to tell someone to stop saying things that are completely wrong )

Just cut the crap and tell me what really happened.

cut the grass

The grass in the back garden needs cutting.

cut the red tape

The new rules should help cut the red tape for farmers.

cut the umbilical cord

Teenage boys especially feel a need to cut the umbilical cord tying them to their mothers.

cut up

He was very cut up about Stephen dying.

cut your nails

You should cut your nails more often!

cut/divide etc sth into pieces

She cut the cake into four equal pieces.

Chop the potato into bite-sized pieces.

Cut...into quarters

Cut the cake into quarters .

cut/lower/reduce a price

The company recently cut the price of its best-selling car.

cut/reduce a bill

We need to find a way to cut our fuel bill.

cut/reduce emissions

an agreement to cut emissions of gases which contribute to global warming

cut/reduce expenditure

Their policies are designed to cut public expenditure.

cut/reduce spending

The alternative is to cut spending.

cut/reduce traffic

The congestion charge did cut road traffic in central London.

cut/reduce/lower a rate

The Halifax Building Society is to cut its mortgage rate by 0.7 percent.

cut/saw wood

A local carpenter cut the wood to size.

cut/sever ties

He said that he planned to sever his ties with the club.

cut...shaving

Brian had cut himself shaving .

cut/slice bread

Could you cut some bread?

cutting board

cutting edge

research that’s at the cutting edge of genetic science

cutting room

director's cut

drastic cuts

drastic cuts in government spending

give...a cutting edge

The team are relying on Gregg to give them a cutting edge .

have your hair cut/done/permed ( also get your hair cut etc ) (= by a hairdresser )

I need to get my hair cut.

job losses/cuts

The factory is closing, with 600 job losses.

lower/cut/reduce taxes

There’s no point promising to cut taxes if you can’t afford it.

need a (good) wash/clean/cut etc (= ought to be washed, cleaned etc )

His hair needs a wash.

power cut

press cutting

reduce/cut a deficit

We must drastically cut our budget deficit to sustain economic growth.

reduce/cut imports

New investment will reduce imports and save jobs.

reduce/cut pollution

New measures are needed to reduce pollution from cars.

reduce/cut sth by half (= make something 50% smaller or 50% less )

The company has reduced the number of staff by half.

reduce/cut/bring down unemployment

The government is spending more on projects to cut unemployment.

sharply reduce/cut sth

These measures could sharply reduce pollution from road traffic.

short cut

Carlos decided to take a short-cut home.

sweeping changes/cuts/reforms etc

They want to make sweeping changes to education policies.

tax cuts

He believes that big tax cuts will encourage economic growth.

COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS

■ ADVERB

away

A worn braid feels rough and is best cut away and the line joined by a blood knot.

Early last year, the city cut away some of the brush in the nesting area to try to disperse the birds.

No one, as far as I know, has ever before cut away the wing of a submerged big jet.

As such trees were inevitably scattered, it required a very wide territory, but its wilderness was slowly cut away .

Triton shells are frequently found in shrines, and with the narrow end cut away to make a mouthpiece.

He carefully cuts away the spines and skin protecting the seedy red fruit within, affording a sloppy stolen treat.

Where a lawn is involved, cut away the turf and loose topsoil.

back

In mid-1981 Virgin was doing badly; the company had made redundancies and the roster was being cut back .

Louis equation has been cut back a bit. 19.

All the geraniums in their pots had been cut back .

Take the stairs. Cut back on those juicy burgers.

Over the past few months, governments have been considering action to cut back on emissions of greenhouse gases.

Banks got into the act when they realized that they too could cut back their exposure to a dangerous and cyclical world.

Speeding up urban traffic could save 10 percent of fuel, and so cut back on carbon dioxide.

If patrons cut back their purchases by less than 10 percent, we would say that demand is inelastic.

down

Thousands of High Elves were cut down by crossbow fire as they waded ashore.

As they approached the first little island, Claude cut down on the power and turned north along the shoreline.

Here I cut down several of the largest trees with my knife, and made two wooden boxes.

I had a sense that this was a much longer project that was cut down to a more commercial length.

Although it cuts down on your freedom, Steves now recommends making make reservations at least a few hours in advance.

This cuts down both the necessary search and the number of candidates found to be allowable.

And then, only an inning later, his catcher threw hard to second base, trying to cut down a steal.

in

There was some reference to a letter and that was quite enough to make Charity cut in at once.

Ask Vlosich a question and one of his parents will cut in before the kid has a chance to speak.

For an anxious moment Ace waited for the suit's air system to cut in .

But, at the very least, we want to be cut in on the deal.

A small pair of scissors that will cut in awkward little corners, etc..

Other players assume they must be guests, or members, or have, at worst, cut in .

Ace felt a tremor as the attractors cut in and anchored the boots to the station.

off

His angry partners cut off his access to all bank accounts and halted payment of his share of the monthly profits.

We were a little bit cut off because we were in our own house.

Clinton: Leading a campaign to cut off sales of cigarettes to minors.

Many of them were also completely cut off from the normal trading conditions that enable people to exercise choice.

I would feel cut off and inadequate whenever my family prayed together.

Thus a number of sections become cut off from the entrances and these might well not be reopened.

And, to make matters worse, it cuts off all medical benefits to their spouses and children.

out

What's more you can cut out the coupon opposite and get your first pack at around half price.

Of course, if you have a fax at home, you can cut out the middleman.

They had a sheet showing a car park and also cars to cut out .

They have their work cut out for them.

The easiest form of discrimination is to cut out all those outlets and publications which will obviously not be interested.

Jamie simply was not cut out for it.

Gedamke had cut out the answers and pasted them one on top of another.

short

Hyacinth thought it best to leave with him at once, soas to cut short the unpleasantness.

However, Bantle would not rule out the possibility that the mission could be cut short if the system is not repaired.

Focus Charles had earlier cut short two engagements in the Midlands to get to the school on time.

Those early repayments, or prepayments, cut short the lives of mortgage securities and can reduce their returns.

When he reached twelve his father cut short his education and procured him a naval cadetship in March 1800.

He cut short a vacation and rushed back to Washington to meet with Ford.

She cut short the stumbling thanks and put down the phone.

A muscle pull cut short his training.

through

These hairs have been driven into the wound but not cut through - you see?

Every time I saw them cut through so many widths of material at once, my blood went cold.

The suspense is cut through when he walks out on them.

The hallway extended about three feet to the right, where the archway to the living room cut through .

Lead pipes are easy to cut through with a hacksaw.

When it was cut through , nothing happened.

■ NOUN

bone

It had a lethal edge now which cut her to the bone .

These icy cold droplets seemed to cut through to the bone as if to punish him for the way he was.

Budgets are tight and subject to sudden change, and inessentials, such as maintenance, are cut to the bone .

To carve the joint, stand it with the ribs underneath, cut away the chine bone and discard.

Rose, whose own profits were already cut to the bone to get the order, knew that she was on trial.

His mockery, which he meant as love, frightened and cut her to the bone .

Anything would have been better than this ice-cold contempt that cut her to the bone .

budget

The education budget was cut by 19 percent overall in January 1989 and a further 25 percent in June.

And when budgets are cut , marginal programs are the first to go.

But the museum is desperately short of cash, having had it's budget cut since 1985.

Dole has pledged to balance the federal budget and cut taxes.

But it is bound to be expensive, and defence budgets are being cut .

Its budget has been cut by 40 percent from its fiscal 1995 level, resulting in staff firings and program reorganizations.

Then we got significant budget cuts here on our district.

corner

They hadn't learned to cut quite so many corners .

No one will care if the administration cuts logical corners over so-called rogue states or fading dictators.

Operators who cut corners will get a licence for only 12 years.

Therefore I manage it judiciously, trying to cut every corner that I can.

But still we cut no corners .

He cut a lot of corners , but even with editing, it affected her.

We were all turning gently to port as I cut the corner and was slowly closing on the Hun.

Leese turned harder left and cut the corner of the turn that Shaker had taken, wagging the tail again.

cost

Mr Gummer unveiled a series of measures to cut costs at slaughterhouses.

Lower prices forced the industry to cut costs and develop more efficient technology.

They cut costs and became more productive.

Further, because it is cheaper to obtain equipment and staff in bulk, they can cut costs .

They also revealed that employers were trying to cut costs on essential precautions such as vaccination and protective equipment and clothing.

Hospitals industrywide have been facing pressures from insurers to cut costs amid declining patient stays.

Its aim was to cut operating costs .

It was a way to cut costs and run a city, town or state more cheaply.

costs

The companies will merge technology platforms, which will be more efficient and cut costs .

Even if they do not cut effective costs , they will bring about changes in patterns of demand for services.

In other words, insurers cut costs by making it harder to get medical services.

Mr Gummer unveiled a series of measures to cut costs at slaughterhouses.

Banks across the country tied the knot as a way to cut costs and boost earnings.

Tony Durham Mains signalling is both a domestic luxury and a way to cut industry's energy costs .

Many firms are increasingly contracting out administrative services positions and otherwise streamlining these functions in an effort to cut costs .

deal

Rather than cut shabby deals , he should call a general election.

Grateful Dead guitar guru Jerry Garcia may be dead, but he can still cut a deal .

The message is that the government will cut a deal with any threatened industry willing to pay through the nose.

Or Republicans could try to cut a deal with congressional Democrats in the hope that Mr Clinton would come aboard later.

Why not cut a deal , before it was too late?

When they let me speak, I cut a deal .

The president and Congress cut a deal on a balanced budget that exempts military spending from any cuts.

But, at the very least, we want to be cut in on the deal .

figure

In return, the Church cut a somewhat uncertain figure .

It was natural that she should cut a poor figure in the Iliad, where the battle of heroes is the theme.

On the ramp he cut a frankly glamorous figure , where he moved like a series of elegant decisions.

No violinist ever cut a more unprepossessing figure .

Diana cut a nondescript figure in her checked shirt, her sister's anorak, cords and wellington boots.

Still, he cuts and appealing screen figure .

Those we recall with greatest fondness, all cut their figures against a wider, more luminous backdrop than mere office.

finger

The burr will prevent a proper fitting being made and can also cut your fingers .

Still, what if one of them fell, cut a finger , banged a head?

He'd cut my fingers off if I used it.

In early December, Aesop cut his finger opening a can of cling peaches.

The rough metal edge cut into his finger tip.

It never broke cleanly but flaked apart into strands that cut their fingers if they weren't careful.

Keep a packet of pitta bread in the freezer, heat up under the grill from frozen and cut into fingers .

grass

The object was further testing of the radiometer using different illumination levels and cut grass subjects.

Mulchers cut and recut the grass clippings so that they virtually disappear within the lawn.

You ask me to cut grass and make hay and sell it and be rich like white men.

The lawn had been freshly cut , some grass raked into piles on the front walk.

We cut grass with a ride-on mower and dead head if not growing for seed.

Quentin Featherston cut the grass of the rectory lawns again.

We won't be able to cut the grass the week after next, as I'd hoped.

hair

Her hair is red, cut with a machete, and her face is china white.

Leanna had had almost all her hair cut off.

Hair by Scissors Boyish cuts retain their charm. Hair is cut to the ears and the fringe finger ruffled.

His hair had been cut , and it became him.

His thick white hair was cut short and unevenly, so that in parts it stood up in clumps.

I had had my hair cut to maintain the Dorothy Hamill wedge style.

Another has her hair cut in a short crop, dyed a deep pink.

I wash your intimate places, pull your white hairs , and cut your nails.

half

Galley cut the deficit in half at 7: 13 on their third power play.

Yahoo's stock price has been cut by half since last summer, but it's an overreaction, the company says.

It said said contamination levels must be cut by half within five years.

Traders of interest-rate futures are pricing in a half-point cut in the first half of this year.

Now cut the tomato in half from stem top to bottom.

Industry could cut this amount in half in five years, according to the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment.

head

He cut off its head with his sword. and this would seem quite reasonable; but could I write this?

When the whale is cut up, the head resembles that of the mysterious Sphynx.

The death squad published a statement claiming they would cut off the head of every Committee member.

They catch you they cut your head off.

Harvest tip Instead of harvesting the whole cabbage, cut the head leaving a short stump.

Leese and I sat at the bottom of the vertical tunnel he had cut , our heads swiveling on nervous lookout.

I mean it's not as though Charles actually cut Paul's head off.

Maybe he could feign amnesia, or just cut the reading and head for home.

ice

The fact it was an out-of-character performance for this season cut no ice .

High-sounding jargon or pointless platitudes cut little ice when one is alert to the actual message being conveyed.

When they could, his companions cut ice and thawed it for water needed in the daily mass.

None of which cut much ice with Manchester United, who controlled this match from start to finish without breaking sweat.

But it was for a reason that would cut no ice with Jean-Claude and so I did not put it to him.

We planned to cut ice bollards and ice threads to save our precious supply of abseil gear.

This had always been the fall-back position, but at this late stage in the argument it cut no ice .

interest

But it rebounded almost twice as far on news that the Fed had cut interest rates.

Governments cut interest rates to spur demand.

Financial analysts now say the Bundesbank may choose to cut interest rates, wark against inflation, not an economic spur.

He says he will cut interest rates on short-term investments to below inflation, thereby discouraging speculation.

I would have cut interest rates very sharply now to three or four percent.

Markets expect that the Fed will soon cut interest rates again.

job

As it cut jobs the company was hit by strikes, in 1986 and 1989.

UniChem said it would take a 26 million pound charge to cut jobs and consolidate the two companies if the merger succeeds.

The airline cut 600 managerial jobs in December.

Manufacturers cut jobs during November in response to weak consumer spending.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is to cut 950 jobs at its plant in Crewe, Cheshire.

He said the company probably will also use the money to cut jobs through a voluntary retirement scheme.

In part two: Clean round the bend.Sweepers offer to take take a pay cut to keep their jobs .

Merrill Lynch traditionally cuts jobs in January following the end of its fiscal year.

knife

Working quickly, he used his knife to cut strips of cloth from the man's clothing.

Use the sharp knife to cut off the crusts.

He took out his knife and cut a swathe to the hollow.

A mile out of town his father stopped the mules and then got out his knife to cut each boy a sample.

Take a sharp knife and cut the roll into four equal lengths.

Using a small cleaver or a large, heavy knife , cut the hind leg across the bone into 2 pieces.

Dot didn't like watching that two-fingered hand as it grasped the knife to cut the dumplings.

I took a knife and cut off the upper joint of my left pinky.

length

If the outlet is directly over the pipe, simply cut the pipe to length and push it over the outlet connection.

They are displayed whole at meat counters or are cut into short lengths and packaged.

He cut off his shoulder length hair, put on a suit, and started dealing with bankers.

This fastening can be cut to any length as it is available by the metre or sold in pre-packed form.

An immigration-reform measure pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee would cut the length of employment to three years, but Sen.

They were straightened, then cut to length on a saw, drilled, and placed adjacent to their assembly points.

The aluminium tube is then cut to length as required with a hacksaw.

line

A worn braid feels rough and is best cut away and the line joined by a blood knot.

If we could cut off these lines of communication, their attack would usually falter.

Maybe - I cut off that line of thinking.

Ask another student volunteer to cut along the line .

Energis cut the lines to Ezesurf last week because of non-payment.

The movement for ballot initiatives has cut across party lines .

The fisherman cut their lines and set sail for port, but the sea serpent continued to follow them.

Slabs irregularly cut with jagged lines where sections had dropped off.

loss

Cawthorne cuts his losses and goes somewhere else.

Killeen has cut multimillion-dollar maritime losses in half.

I hope Wilko cuts his losses with our Brian and then goes out to look for a decent striker.

As for Richard, take my advice and cut your losses .

Slashing costs and hiking insurance rates cut its loss against 1991 by a thumping £84 million.

Try the risky, potentially spectacular shot, or cut his losses and play safe?

I believe he must cut his losses on a number of individuals.

Once he learned to ride his gains and cut his losses , he never looked back.

number

They help to cut down the number of acne bacteria in the blocked-up grease glands and reduce painful inflammation.

While air bags do cut down the number of deaths and injuries, they are not completely effective.

Since it seems they are not to be permitted to cut student numbers , they are attempting to increase income.

The pension fund plans to cut in half the number of outside managers, Mr Burnham added.

The recession has cut the number of Thames's commercial customers and has virtually killed off profits from selling redundant properties.

For example, we cut the number of aircraft out for maintenance at any given time by three fourths.

He expects the Fed to cut rates a number of times in the coming months.

pay

Some big firms have cut the pay of senior executives in a move to impress on humbler employees that times are tough.

percent

But the staffing has been cut by twelve percent over the last three years.

The maximum rate for individuals was cut from 50 percent to 28 percent.

Supplies of liquefied gas fell 20 percent in June and exports were to be cut by 60 percent in the third quarter.

The battle escalated recently when United Airlines announced it would cut commissions 20 percent , from 10 to 8 percent.

Cereal prices would be cut by 35 percent , beef and butter by 15 percent and milk by 10 percent.

Its budget has been cut by 40 percent from its fiscal 1995 level, resulting in staff firings and program reorganizations.

Lead, mercury, cadmium and dioxin levels were to be cut by 70 percent by 1995.

Imagine what anyone would feel if they were getting their salary cut by 85 percent .

piece

One would stand on a chair and cut a piece off at mealtimes.

Remove rabbit, separate meat from bones, discard bones, cut meat into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces , who pierced the dragon?

And the brilliant green broccoli, cooked al dente and cut into small pieces , makes eating with chopsticks manageable.

Both cut to pieces anything animal in their path, and both have acquired a mystique of terror in their own land.

Simon ducked his head, cut a piece of ravioli in half with his fork and put it in his mouth.

Each body had been cut into seven pieces and the parts put into ten bags.

The slabs are then cut into pieces and rinsed.

plan

Fielding is already making plans to cut one or two of the smaller guys out of the action.

Citicorp also announced plans to cut costs by eliminating 7, 500 jobs.

The state government has begun a new purge, with plans to cut demand by imposing a surcharge.

PacTel already is in the middle of a multiyear plan to cut its workforce by 10, 000.

But Mr Clinton will win plaudits from most economists if he carries through plans to cut the budget deficit.

Wells fired 1, 750 employees on April 1 and announced plans to cut its workforce by 7, 200 this year.

price

But by giving the Government 60 days to cut the price of petrol they have focused ministers' attentions on the issue.

At the same time, competition increased from rivals charging lower prices , forcing Motorola to cut its own prices.

Ladbrokes cut his price from 12-1 to half those odds for Ascot's Krug Trophy.

Investment is being cut back, and prices are falling.

Asda said it had cut prices by up to 50 percent on more than 1,500 lines.

Does the employer absorb the costs and cut profits or raise prices ?

They say it's great and say other's should cut their prices .

rate

Mr Greenspan is famously hard to interpret, and the motivation for his rate cut will no doubt remain unclear for now.

Tax bases were broadened; marginal rates were cut .

Corporate tax rates have been cut , too.

And the Bundesbank is starting to bolster the hopes rates will be cut .

Belt-tightening would allow the debt ratio to fall faster or income-tax rates to be cut .

The birth rate will only be cut , however, if the health prospects of poor families are improved.

There is now talk of an interest rate cut some time this week.

ribbon

He would cut the ribbon on many of the new towers.

The college's oldest student, Edgar Pryce, 84, of Newton Aycliffe, cut a ribbon to launch the celebrations.

A former state senator cut the ribbon to reopen the place.

She knew it would give a nasty sting, but it wouldn't cut her flesh to ribbons .

He hugged hundreds of babies, shook thousands of hands and cut ribbons at new universities, high-tech factories and a hospital.

And as he cut the ribbon there would sometimes be tears in his eyes.

size

The conference also approved resolutions to cut class sizes and protect teachers from undue stress.

These are sold in very thin sheets that can be cut to the desired size , filled, sealed and boiled.

Buying new glass and having it cut to size can be prohibitively expensive for the home tank builder.

It was now to be cut down to approximate size .

The board is then cut to size and screwed on to the battens.

To cut you down to size .

For example, competition could cut the size of phone bills and end the imposition of unreasonable bank charges on small businesses.

How can Republicans be angry because Clinton has cut the size of government?

slice

Deftly, he cut four thick slices from the granary loaf, then began his search for the cheese.

Peel the ginger, slice thinly with the grain, and cut the slices lengthwise into thin shreds.

Very slowly the boy cut himself another slice and began to eat it.

The lettuce was cut up into slices and had a mustard with small teeth inside it.

Knedliky, when it arrived, was nothing more sinister than dumplings cut into half-inch-thick slices .

With a sharp knife, cut dough intoinch slices .

Unmould the stuffing, cut it into slices and serve with the duck.

To fry, cut intoinch slices .

supply

The state also plans to cut supplies to urban consumers by half.

In Maharashtra, for example, the government cuts off supplies to parts of the state once a week.

Mr Mobutu had cut the supply route after a dispute with Mr Savimbi.

Most main roads were cut , creating supply problems.

It said it would cut the power supply to the national grid if its demands were not met.

Sales agents acting on behalf of manufacturers, are vigilant in preventing retailers from selling at lower prices by threatening to cut future supplies .

Don't tread around bushes to firm them, this will cut off the oxygen supply to the roots.

It would help, he says, if the United States cut military supplies to those commanders making money out of heroin.

tax

Corporate tax rates have been cut , too.

And remember that Al Gore, a Tennessean, backed tax cuts last year.

How will widening the 10p tax band be made to look like a tax cut for everybody?

He said the increase might force cuts in prisons and higher education and prevent any tax cut this year.

This, in effect, is a tax cut for banks.

At the same time the general corporate tax rate was cut from 46 to its present 34 percent.

To raise the money, the government has increased taxes and cut subsidies.

throat

She'd bought a lawn edger sharp as a razor, sharp enough to cut your throat with.

Press reports said the attackers cut the throats of some of the children.

In the end Wormtongue is fed up with being beaten so he cuts Saruman's throat to free himself.

These men cut throats and ventilated people with arrows as easily as skinning rabbits.

He had forced his way into her room and cut her throat with a 12 inch knife.

If she cut her legs she might cut your throat .

If you weren't, I'd have cut your throat months ago.

Combination, conspiracy, and cut throat competition are all means to the end of reducing competition and escaping its regulatory powers.

tooth

He cut his teeth at places like Claridges; the Carlton, Cannes.

There was considerable sniping from the Congress, particularly from the staffers who cut their eye teeth on Centralism principles.

The entrepreneurial owner cut his teeth on a Schweizer 300 which he still owns.

Sutton and Packford both cut their teeth on the old hot-metal newspaper production process.

She cut her sporting teeth in the marketing department at Sheffield Wednesday.

tree

But every time I wanted a piece of wood, I had to cut down a tree .

It could cut a tree in half if it was two or three football fields away.

When we got to Donoghue's Cross the road was cut and trees knocked.

At 500 feet I crossed a swath cut through the trees that formed the northern perimeter of the camp.

Male speaker Neolithic man would have used an axe to cut the trees .

Paul cut the trees and Babe hauled them.

I looked up and saw again the arrow cut into the tree .

Instead, here the loggers had come in and simply cut the biggest trees , leaving the rest.

■ VERB

try

The next thing Paige became aware of was some one trying to cut her in two.

Or Republicans could try to cut a deal with congressional Democrats in the hope that Mr Clinton would come aboard later.

As they try to cut stocks, this is likely to make a big dent in orders to manufacturing industry and importers.

They also revealed that employers were trying to cut costs on essential precautions such as vaccination and protective equipment and clothing.

To try to cut down on internecine warfare, Mr Florio oversaw annual meetings at which he encouraged publishers to work together.

If you find it difficult to stop drinking altogether, try to cut down as much as possible.

Banks are trying to cut costs to generate money to write off their bad loans.

PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

be badly cut up

be cut short

And his restless nature rendered him an artist whose greatness frequently was cut short by his lack of focus.

Freire's experiment was cut short by a military coup, so it is difficult to judge the results.

Further discussion is cut short by a bump that interposes a few bodies between us.

He was missing two front teeth, and his hair was cut short in a burr.

Hugh McPherson, alleges his Army career was cut short in retaliation for his thorough pursuit of the events.

It printed prose and verse in broadside and chapbook form till its activities were cut short by the War.

Then their wedding night in a luxury hotel was cut short at 6am - because of a fire alert.

be cut/torn to ribbons

Her feet were cut to ribbons on the rocks.

cut a corner

If we cut the corner too tight, the trailer will hit the fence.

I want something deeper than the stuff you usually do for me, so don't look for ways to cut corners .

If I cut corners , I have something left on Saturday to go shopping with.

If it's rough, the manufacturer has cut corners by not sealing the back edge.

Men working on the site complained of pressure to cut corners to save time on the delayed project.

Operators who cut corners will get a licence for only 12 years.

People cut corners , creating new tracks and damaging the land.

cut a dash

Assistant Editor, Hellena Barnes cut a dash with her scissors.

He cut a dashing figure in his black-leather jacket and blue jeans.

Tall, dark, handsome and eloquent, our hero cuts a dashing figure in the little city with big ambitions.

They were able to take a high line, look impressive, cut a dash - on the cheap.

cut a swathe through sth

They cut a swathe through the massed black-clad warriors, and then turning swiftly trampled back over their disorganized ranks.

cut corners

One airline was accused of cutting corners on safety.

The agency accused the airline of cutting corners on safety.

I want something deeper than the stuff you usually do for me, so don't look for ways to cut corners .

If I cut corners , I have something left on Saturday to go shopping with.

If it's rough, the manufacturer has cut corners by not sealing the back edge.

Men working on the site complained of pressure to cut corners to save time on the delayed project.

Operators who cut corners will get a licence for only 12 years.

People cut corners , creating new tracks and damaging the land.

cut it/things fine

cut loose

I'm ready to cut loose and enjoy the weekend.

And knowing that, I wondered how much Ellie would ever cut loose of Michael.

Both times Francis cut loose with stinging criticism of his team's play.

But when Mike Mannion cut loose the home side collapsed to 127 all out.

I felt like I had been cut loose .

Many were cut loose and left to fend for themselves in the job-poor wilderness.

Perhaps I do have to cut loose .

The stars floated free like buoys cut loose on a dark sea.

They should be demanding that the settlers be cut loose .

cut sb short

cut sth to the bone

The company laid off employees and cut expenses to the bone .

Anything would have been better than this ice-cold contempt that cut her to the bone .

His mockery, which he meant as love, frightened and cut her to the bone .

It had a lethal edge now which cut her to the bone .

Oh, Peggy, to hear you say that ... that you're lonely, cuts me to the bone .

These icy cold droplets seemed to cut through to the bone as if to punish him for the way he was.

cut the mustard

It was whispered, Patsy said, that he couldn't cut the mustard .

That wouldn't cut the mustard without new technology.

cut your own throat

To cut our own throats so thoroughly and so hopelessly would require colossal stupidity.

cut/give sb some slack

Hey, cut me some slack , man, I'm only a few bucks short.

She played the fish, gave it some slack and let it run till it hesitated, then slowly drew it back.

The fish must have come forward to give the line some slack .

cut/sting/pierce sb to the quick

Son, you really cut down to the quick .

That's probably why she sent him - she knew it would cut him to the quick .

The answer cut him to the quick .

cut/untie the Gordian knot

A similar attempt to cut the Gordian knot of Chapter 4 also proves to be fallacious.

If Gorbachev expects to untie the Gordian knot, he has over-estimated his powers.

fresh-made/fresh-cut/fresh-grated etc

have your work cut out (for you)

Election monitors will have their work cut out.

So you have your work cut out for you.

The home team has not beaten the Scarlets for some dozen matches and should still have their work cut out to win.

They have their work cut out adapting themselves to it, and it to themselves.

They have their work cut out for them.

We have our work cut out for us.

Whoever takes on the trout farm will have their work cut out.

swingeing cuts

the cutting edge (of sth)

Amazingly, he accomplished that while dancing on the cutting edge.

As president of a modeling agency, Page Parkes follows the cutting edge.

But the cutting edge doesn't come cheap.

In fact, this white-owned company was often on the cutting edge of new directions.

Settlement houses and settlement house workers were at the cutting edge of social change.

The decade's retreat from the cutting edge is certainly in evidence.

to cut a long story short

you could cut the atmosphere/air/tension with a knife

EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

Cut the fish into four pieces and serve hot or warm.

A couple of the scenes had to be cut because they were too violent.

Because of the recession, salaries in the advertising industry have been cut by a half.

Beresford cut the scenes of cannibalism.

Beth's at the salon having her hair cut .

Even after it had been cut , the film was still over three hours long.

First cut the paper into a triangle.

He cut the string and carefully unwrapped the parcel.

His annual leave has been cut from six weeks to just three.

I had to cut huge chunks out to get this essay to the right length.

I wish you wouldn't cut your fingernails in the living room.

If you cut too many jobs, you overload the remaining employees.

It's so difficult to cut even a couple of scenes from a play without losing some of the story.

Kids cut class and ran down the street to watch the fire.

Mandy cut the paper in half and gave a piece to each child.

My dad used to cut the grass every Sunday morning.

My sister usually cuts my hair.

One of the children had cut her foot on some glass.

Phil cut himself shaving this morning.

Rescue workers had to use special equipment to cut open the steel doors.

EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS

Firms cut back further on orders.

Iron and steel were hard and unyielding, yet here in the machine shop, you cut them like butter.

It cut Romney Marsh off from the mainland.

Mr Bates, prospective Conservative candidate for Langbaurgh, claimed the fire service training budget had been drastically cut .

Tax bases were broadened; marginal rates were cut .

This cuts out the currency board as middleman, and has a similar economic effect.

Trim the fennel, cut into quarters and core.

With a serrated knife, cut corn kernels off cob; set aside.

II. noun

COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS

■ ADJECTIVE

big

After all, President Reagan easily won support for his big tax cut in 1981 from a Democratic-controlled Congress.

But the men at City Hall, sniffing at anything too ideological, insist that big cuts are just not practical.

Voters, in fact, are not clamoring for big tax cuts , tempting as they may be.

Critics say the Dole team did not pay enough attention to ways to pay for the big tax cuts .

With the wind dead on their stern, he had changed the genoa for a much bigger and lighter cut .

clean

Don't shorten the stems, just tidy them to a clean cut , and do the same with any broken roots.

Where Clinton is rugged and earthy, Gore is clean cut and preppy.

The clean , neat cuts were delivered with a skill Terry would never learn to master.

That was something I could understand, and approve of - to make a clean cut .

I drew it downwards with a clean cut .

He had a few days growth of stubble but something about him was fundamentally clean cut .

They give a clean cut , keeping plants healthy and strong.

More teeth give a cleaner cut , and are better for cutting across the grain if a really smooth finish is required.

clear

It often happens that the greater the area of choice, the less clear cut are the guidelines.

Peace is an ambiguous concept in the Middle East, whereas war is clear cut .

However, the courts did not recognise a clear cut distinction between the two classes of case.

There are no clear cut threshold speeds at which damage can be guaranteed to occur.

This example is far less clear cut .

While the evidence linking increased cell proliferation and colorectal cancer is good, the converse is less clear cut .

But the Corrado's victory is far from being so clear cut in other areas.

The second half was much of the same with neither side being able to carve out clear cut chances.

deep

A security guard suffered serious head injuries, while another person suffered deep cuts from flying glass.

The agriculture budget may take one of the deepest cuts .

A deep cut , but wider than any knife.

She has a deep cut in the palm of her right hand.

Yeltsin urged even deeper cuts , to perhaps 2,500 warheads each.

The alternative would be deep spending cuts or tax increases -- or some combination of the two.

The framework of the agreement allows new targets for periods beyond 2010, leaving scope for further deep cuts in the future.

Some of the deepest cuts are in the catch-all category called domestic discretionary spending.

drastic

The drastic cuts come a week after Aldershot were wound up and rekindle fears for several Fourth Division clubs facing closure.

He is in favor of drastic cuts in social spending in order to balance the budget.

The council would spend £10m more than Governments limits, putting off the need for drastic cuts .

Jude Medical and Medtronic gained as federal budget talks stalled, making drastic cuts in the Medicare health insurance program less likely.

The liberal democrats and labour say their budget was the only way to prevent drastic cuts .

C., making drastic cuts in Medicare reimbursement unlikely for now.

In practice it has not proved easy to achieve the drastic cuts in spending that are wanted.

California in 1990 enacted a plan requiring drastic cuts in air pollution from automobiles.

further

Although bank officials are seeking to limit the damage, the news will add to pressure for further cuts in borrowing costs.

The former Republican senator from Maine brings priorities that spell hope for companies worried about further cuts to military spending.

A further cut is planned for 1993-94.

They will block further tax cuts , except modest breaks for small businesses to ease the burden of a minimum wage increase.

Those cuts have been very painful. Further cuts would be cutting into the bone and not the flesh.

The framework of the agreement allows new targets for periods beyond 2010, leaving scope for further deep cuts in the future.

There were constant announcements of further cuts and closures, an unending stream of private message and public ambiguity.

However, we seem more intent on using further tax cuts to prolong the party.

large

The largest cuts - which were proposed for the North Sea cod and haddock - amounted to only 15 percent.

Buy the largest roast or cut of ham, or bird that your budget permits and that you can serve out satisfactorily.

Both parties would make dangerously large cuts in this nation's defence.

While rates on Treasury securities plunged last year, the Federal Reserve resisted calls for large cuts in the rates it controls.

Even more important, the sale of public assets made possible large cuts in taxation in the 1985 and 1986 budgets.

She said that large cuts were made in regional selective assistance in the early 1980s.

low

The lower cut must be perfectly flat and angled to match the oblique cut on the rootstock.

short

Access to Gas Services Installation Short cut course to gas services engineering for central heating and related areas.

Only the air was tainted by the fumes from the slow-moving cars that used the street as a short cut .

Oncoming bikers seemed intent on taking the short cut up and over the Aussie's Nissan.

Under pressure, an advice worker may be tempted to take short cuts .

She had got stuck getting out of Belfast, and got lost trying to take a short cut round the traffic jam.

The Result: This shorter , blunt cut gives the appearance of thick, healthy hair.

They had orders to take the short cut and risk the mines.

small

Around curves, use small cuts with the tips of the scissors.

He knows the polls show voters would prefer smaller tax cuts .

He could find only a small cut and bruise on the back of his head.

Selling a smaller tax cut could be a hard sell to a large block of conservative lawmakers.

It also contains calendula extract to stimulate the healing of small cuts and scratches.

The carcass is small so that cuts appear to be miniatures of beef cuts.

Make a small cut and then try to pull the gall to pieces bit by bit.

Wilson got a tax cut of nearly $ 1 billion, despite a desire by Democrats for a smaller cut.

spending

The criteria for budget deficits and public debt require spending cuts .

Future economic restructuring is likely to include public spending cuts which may also limit further educational expansion.

And now Lord Chancellor Lord MacKay has warned that spending cuts are likely to severely restrict the amount of aid available.

That means spending cuts as the Tories fight inflation outside the Euro money system.

Mr Breaux would find some spending cuts but partially replace the energy tax by increasing the tax on petrol.

What a contrast with the pathetic attempts by Mr Major and Norman Lamont to blame others for their coming public spending cuts .

Larger-than-expected spending cuts are being imposed to keep the franc stable.

Read in studio Forty jobs could go because of council spending cuts .

■ NOUN

budget

Michele Hanson examines the problems imposed by budget cuts and staff shortages, and looks at the need for long-term strategies.

They were turned away. Budget cuts had limited the patient load, Marsha was told.

The proposed budget cuts would have affected housing subsidies, pensions, family payments and civil service pay.

Even in cities which generally fared well in the face of federal budget cuts , the impacts in these areas were significant.

And Britain's military capability-marginally useful to us during the Gulf war-has vanished with successive budget cuts .

But there was a budget cut after a year, and I was laid off.

The work of regulatory agencies was also undermined by budget cuts and a concerted unwillingness to enforce existing regulations.

Does she order across-the-board budget cuts to bring the budget into compliance with the amendment?

crew

The three boys should have been at school with their ragged clothes, crew cuts and sullen eyes.

Haldeman is the one with the square head and crew cut , right?

His hair was fair and it had been curly before he'd had it given a crew cut .

Despite his militant crew cut , Bellows looks stylishly moody and vulnerable, and Sheridan could pass for a vanilla float.

He was a stocky boy of middle height, with blue eyes, a bristling crew cut , and red cheeks.

An elderly colonel with a steel gray crew cut stood to one side, ready to intervene if the questioning got difficult.

He sported the same crew cut he wore during his playing days.

He also had a fresh crew cut , which added to the un-real appearance of the scene.

hair

Well, of course, she could get her hair cut and buy new clothes.

The profession usually requires short, neat hair cuts and trim beards if any, for men.

She's had her hair cut , but it's Annie all right.

Changing your hair cut and/or colour can be a great looks-booster.

She had had her hair cut .

She looked different with her hair cut and it made them feel shy.

Would you have your hair cut ?

De Levantiére has had her hair cut and it makes her look very sophisticated.

job

But, it hopes the latest job cuts will be the last.

The job cuts bring the total across all BAe firms to 43,000 since 1990.

It is too early to say exactly how many job cuts each agency would absorb, defense officials said.

The job cuts are planned because the government ordered the Council to cut spending by ten million pounds.

In December, about 935 job cuts were announced by Illinois-based corporations, according to the firm.

The job cuts have been forced on the church by the severity of the recession.

As all the Bells prepare for the next wave of job cuts , some have more work ahead of them than others.

pay

With inflation running at 3.6 percent, that means they are being asked to accept an effective pay cut of 2.1 percent.

But after getting released and not being active and taking a pay cut , it takes a toll.

A third took rises below five percent, 14 percent got no rise and one percent took a pay cut .

Worse, he had to take a thirty percent pay cut for working twice as many hours.

And he's furious: Male speaker Dentists won't be willing to put up with such a pay cut .

Both he and Roberts, scrappy, even a bit shrewish here, took huge pay cuts to play opposite each other.

The pay cuts were highlighted by researchers for for the Halifax Building Society who quizzed 4,000 youngsters aged 12 to 16.

If Annan is sincere about reform, he should set an example by taking a pay cut .

power

A drop in voltage can be more serious than a power cut .

For example, the specialist Sun Frost range keeps food fresh for weeks rather than days if a power cut occurs.

Energy crisis Periodic power cuts were imposed from Oct. 29 after electricity supplies from the Soviet Union were suddenly suspended.

There are power cuts almost every evening.

Pristina remains broken: there are power cuts , buildings gape open, and rubbish is uncollected.

On enquiry they were told that the other had been lent to a local restaurant when it suffered a power cut .

It was Madame in the doorway, loudly disputing the accuracy of the information and the need for a power cut .

The couple may simply require light because a fuse has blown or a power cut has occurred.

price

They embarked on a desperate round of price cuts .

After months of losing traffic, Viacom decided to match the price cuts .

Telegraph proprietor Conrad Black has estimated the price cut will cost £1.5m a month.

We just hope tens of thousands of other Star subscribers can take advantage of this major price cut , too.

They have told me about the effect that price cuts can have on the dairy sector.

Prodigy is trying a price cut of its own.

But recent price cuts have sparked sales and debts have halved to Pounds 66m.

If price cuts have to be paid to all buyers this reduces their profitability as well as increasing their detectability.

rate

This is a budget which may well produce an interest rate cut .

Investors and analysts took that to mean a rate cut before mid-year is out of the question.

Talk of rate cuts was also good for the banks.

To ward off a rate cut was one reason to soldier.

Here perhaps lies the likeliest explanation for Mr Greenspan's sudden rate cut .

tax

Al Gore's presidential campaign repeatedly referred to his plans for tax credits as targeted tax cuts .

So do differences over such hot-button issues as tax cuts , welfare, education and the environment.

Impending tax cuts will help too.

Everything should be on the table, including the tax cut .

Gone are Tory promises of across-the-board tax cuts or scaremongering about Labour's tax bombshells.

The promise of massive tax cuts is a political staple that has always played well in the past.

He has also made modest tax cuts of his own in New York City.

Many suspect that retroactive tax cuts could be ditched.

■ VERB

announce

The survey was taken before the Republican candidate announced his tax cut plan on Monday.

expect

He said he expected most of the cuts to fall on Merseyside's Halewood plant.

Another political factor may also play a large role in 1995: An expected capital-gains tax cut may finally come to pass.

After the breakdown of talks in London he said he expected most of the cuts to fall on Merseyside's Halewood plant.

All but two of the 28 are counting on another discount rate cut , with eight expecting the cut this quarter.

Just one expected a cut this week.

The plan is also expected to call for cuts in fighter jet programs and two rounds of base closings.

I expect the new commission cuts will put a number of bad and so-so travel agents out of business.

Only 1 of the 28 market observers polled said they expect a cut in rates tomorrow.

face

That of Lancashire, which has supported much diocesan work in the past, is facing very serious cuts .

Similarly, the army, when faced with a budget cut , never points the finger at desk-bound lieutenant colonels.

make

The government has made minor cuts on welfare and some changes of a largely symbolic nature.

You just feel it when you make a wrong cut .

The only place where we could make cuts , without resetting the entire piece, was in the last paragraph.

As he struggled to make the cut in Majorca, his lips were dry and his forehead was perspiring.

To repair the defect, first use a sharp knife to make two cuts at right angles across the blister.

They have different styles: Warren runs downhill, looking to make cuts , while Broussard is more explosive.

Again, always use a very sharp blade to make any cuts .

Marinades make less-tender cuts , such as chuck steaks, grill-worthy.

miss

He was twice runner-up and missed only one cut .

He finished Friday with bogeys on No. 16 and No. 18 and missed the cut by five strokes.

Jack won his tournament and we missed the cut at Muirfield Village.

He missed the cut by eight strokes, collected his six-figure appearance fee, and split for a month at home.

After that we never missed a cut together.

For instance, Norman finished fourth his first time here, and Nicklaus missed the cut .

He was twice runner-up and missed only two cuts , one of them last year.

propose

If this figure proves wildly optimistic, Bill Clinton will either have to propose more cuts or spend more money.

For example, administration officials highlighted Sanchez Elementary in Austin, Texas as a potential victim of the proposed cuts .

His proposed tax cuts are warmed-over Reaganomics that could saddle our children with an ever-increasing national debt.

President Clinton is also a supporter, having criticized the proposed cut in a letter to lawmakers.

About 75 percent of all the proposed spending cuts would take effect after 2000&038;.

But the current proposed cuts mean that, nationwide, about 9, 700 schools will loose all Title I support.

Dole aides have said the candidate may propose broader income tax cuts later this year as part of his long-range economic strategy.

Instead, Dole proposed a 15 percent cut in income tax rates.

spend

At this point Wilson's chancellor would have been outlining spending cuts , not increases.

Republican voters say they want low taxes and prudent spending cuts .

All the weapons in the Treasury's armoury - spending cuts , higher interest rates and higher taxes - are politically unpalatable.

But smaller deficits brought on either by spending cuts or higher taxes reduce purchasing power.

Requiring budget balance would short-circuit this stabilizing effect by mandating either tax increases or spending cuts just when the economy was weak.

The alternative would be deep spending cuts or tax increases -- or some combination of the two.

The president and Congress cut a deal on a balanced budget that exempts military spending from any cuts.

President Reagan agreed to accept tax increases immediately in exchange for spending cuts to be named later.

suffer

Thomas Cunningham suffered a cut to the scalp which required hospital treatment.

One woman suffered cuts and scratches.

A security guard suffered serious head injuries, while another person suffered deep cuts from flying glass.

Tien has suffered budget cuts throughout his six-year tenure.

Again, it was the middle management ranks that suffered the severest cuts .

She suffered many deep cuts and X-rays were still being taken to determine other injuries, Lacoste said.

take

Oncoming bikers seemed intent on taking the short cut up and over the Aussie's Nissan.

Learning to bat takes a few cuts and the pitching and fielding controls are simple.

Cars daren't risk taking the short cut .

We took the left-hand cut , which runs into the Thames at an angle.

The new chief executive acknowledged he would be taking a pay cut .

Under pressure, an advice worker may be tempted to take short cuts .

But after getting released and not being active and taking a pay cut , it takes a toll.

PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

be badly cut up

be cut short

And his restless nature rendered him an artist whose greatness frequently was cut short by his lack of focus.

Freire's experiment was cut short by a military coup, so it is difficult to judge the results.

Further discussion is cut short by a bump that interposes a few bodies between us.

He was missing two front teeth, and his hair was cut short in a burr.

Hugh McPherson, alleges his Army career was cut short in retaliation for his thorough pursuit of the events.

It printed prose and verse in broadside and chapbook form till its activities were cut short by the War.

Then their wedding night in a luxury hotel was cut short at 6am - because of a fire alert.

cut corners

One airline was accused of cutting corners on safety.

The agency accused the airline of cutting corners on safety.

I want something deeper than the stuff you usually do for me, so don't look for ways to cut corners .

If I cut corners , I have something left on Saturday to go shopping with.

If it's rough, the manufacturer has cut corners by not sealing the back edge.

Men working on the site complained of pressure to cut corners to save time on the delayed project.

Operators who cut corners will get a licence for only 12 years.

People cut corners , creating new tracks and damaging the land.

cut it/things fine

cut loose

I'm ready to cut loose and enjoy the weekend.

And knowing that, I wondered how much Ellie would ever cut loose of Michael.

Both times Francis cut loose with stinging criticism of his team's play.

But when Mike Mannion cut loose the home side collapsed to 127 all out.

I felt like I had been cut loose .

Many were cut loose and left to fend for themselves in the job-poor wilderness.

Perhaps I do have to cut loose .

The stars floated free like buoys cut loose on a dark sea.

They should be demanding that the settlers be cut loose .

cut sb short

cut sth to the bone

The company laid off employees and cut expenses to the bone .

Anything would have been better than this ice-cold contempt that cut her to the bone .

His mockery, which he meant as love, frightened and cut her to the bone .

It had a lethal edge now which cut her to the bone .

Oh, Peggy, to hear you say that ... that you're lonely, cuts me to the bone .

These icy cold droplets seemed to cut through to the bone as if to punish him for the way he was.

cut your own throat

To cut our own throats so thoroughly and so hopelessly would require colossal stupidity.

cut/give sb some slack

Hey, cut me some slack , man, I'm only a few bucks short.

She played the fish, gave it some slack and let it run till it hesitated, then slowly drew it back.

The fish must have come forward to give the line some slack .

cut/sting/pierce sb to the quick

Son, you really cut down to the quick .

That's probably why she sent him - she knew it would cut him to the quick .

The answer cut him to the quick .

cut/untie the Gordian knot

A similar attempt to cut the Gordian knot of Chapter 4 also proves to be fallacious.

If Gorbachev expects to untie the Gordian knot, he has over-estimated his powers.

fresh-made/fresh-cut/fresh-grated etc

have your hair cut/your house painted etc

have your work cut out (for you)

Election monitors will have their work cut out.

So you have your work cut out for you.

The home team has not beaten the Scarlets for some dozen matches and should still have their work cut out to win.

They have their work cut out adapting themselves to it, and it to themselves.

They have their work cut out for them.

We have our work cut out for us.

Whoever takes on the trout farm will have their work cut out.

swingeing cuts

EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

Cuts in the education budget have led to fewer teachers and larger classes.

His hands were covered with cuts and scrapes.

How much is my cut going to be?

Investigators found that her cut of the profits amounted to more than 25%.

It's a particularly tender cut of beef.

Make the first cut fairly shallow, then push the saw deeper into the wood.

Nurses are protesting about further pay cuts.

Schools receive a 34% cut of the money the state lottery earns.

Several passengers were treated for cuts and bruises.

Some senators have called for huge tax cuts to stimulate the economy.

Teachers are expecting further cuts next year.

That's a very flattering cut .

The censors insisted on several cuts.

The distributors and the wholesalers all get their cut , and this is what pushes up the price.

The emphasis on comfort has changed the cut of men's suits.

The new management has promised that there will be no job cuts.

The whole team agreed to take pay cuts, rather than see their colleagues lose their jobs.

There are to be big cuts in the health budget next year.

EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS

He knows the polls show voters would prefer smaller tax cuts.

The cut should go to 1 / 4 inch from the other side of the card.

The Kennedy and Reagan tax cuts came at a time when the economy was under-performing.

These pointed fingers were adjusted to be my guide and, apart from the very ends of each cut , were quite reliable.

They said the tax cut would reduce the amount of money flowing to schools.

Longman DOCE5 Extras English vocabulary.      Дополнительный английский словарь Longman DOCE5.