5 British Workplace Idioms With ‘Cut’ to Boost Your English Understanding & Communication At Work

We’re giving you 5 common British workplace idioms that use the verb “cut”!

Hi, from Speak More Clearly!

I’m glad you’re here to learn about 5 British workplace idioms using the word ‘cut’ that will help you understand what’s going on in your workplace. Idioms are tricky things. All languages have them and there are an estimated 25 million idiomatic expressions in English!

What makes idioms difficult?

They are usually figurative, non-literal expressions or groups of words which are not understandable from the meanings of the individual words. We use them on a daily basis without really thinking about them. A classic example is, ‘break a leg’, which means ‘good luck’ in the theatre. Who would have thought it?!

As in life, so in the workplace, these expressions are used all the time and unless you know the meaning of them you can find yourself excluded from the conversation. Not a happy place to be! So we’re going to look at 5 of the more common British workplace idioms which use the verb ‘cut’ to help you out.

The key word here in all 5 workplace idioms is ‘cut’

Meaning: ‘to break the surface of something, divide or make it smaller, using a sharp instrument, such as a knife’.

For example:
‘She cut the cake into six pieces.’

It is pronounced /kʌt/. The tricky part of this word is the short vowel sound in the middle: /ʌ/.

It is the same vowel sound which appears in the words ‘put, ’‘but’, ‘hut’, ‘shut’, ‘nut’ and ‘gut’.

To pronounce this correctly, you need to keep the tongue relaxed at the centre of the mouth, at mid-point, and your lips should also be relaxed and be partly open. Pay attention to drop your bottom jaw quite a bit. Try repeating the pronunciation of ‘cut’, ‘put’, ‘but, ‘hut’, ‘shut’, ‘nut’ and ‘gut’ a few times. Remember, the key is a relaxed tongue, relaxed lips and to drop the jaw. There’s a detailed instruction of how to make the /ʌ/ sound in our online British accent course.

1. ‘cut a deal’  /kʌt.ə.diːl/

Meaning: to reach an agreement

For example: ‘She cut a deal with her manager to increase her salary by 10%.’ 

2. ‘cut the mustard’  /kʌt.ðəˈmʌs.təd/

Meaning: to meet expectations or attain the require standard

For example: ‘David’s work performance did not cut the mustard this month.’

3. ‘cut corners’  /kʌt.ˈkɔː.nəz/

Meaning: to skip steps in order to so something easily or cheaply

For example: ‘Don’t cut corners on the project or you’ll regret it.’

4. ‘cut to the chase’  /kʌt.tuːðə.tʃeɪs/

Meaning: to get to the point quickly

For example: ‘Sarah cut to the chase in the meeting and got straight to the point.’ 

5. ‘cut-throat’  /ˈkʌtθrəʊt/

Meaning: very fierce and intense

For example: ‘There is a cut-throat competition in the market.’

Hopefully next time you hear any of these 5 idioms in the workplace, you will not be ‘cut out’ – excluded – from the conversation! You can also try using them yourself and impress your colleagues with your knowledge of British idioms.

If you’ve found this tip helpful don’t forget to share this video with a friend!

For more work idioms, check this training material on 6 work common idioms.