cut

a cut above superior to. informal

1998Spectator Samuel was a scholar…and his contributions are a cut above the rest.

be cut out for (or to be) have exactly the right qualities for (a particular role, task, or job). informal

☞ The sense of cut out here is 'formed or fashioned by cutting', as the pieces of a garment are cut out from the fabric.

2013New Statesman Not cut out for heavy work, Nighy was sent down the middle of the concrete pillars to clean their wire interiors, a job that struck him as particularly absurd, given that no one could ever see the result of his labour.

cut and run make a speedy or sudden departure from an awkward or hazardous situation rather than confront or deal with it. informal

☞ Cut and run was originally an early 18th-century nautical phrase, meaning 'sever the anchor cable because of an emergency and make sail immediately'.

cut both ways

1 (of a point or statement) serve both sides of an argument.

2 (of an action or process) have both good and bad effects.

☞ The image behind this expression is that of a double-edged weapon (see double-edged sword atdouble-edged).

❶ 1998 Sanjida O'ConnellAngel Bird Words have the power to cut both ways and I was not strong enough to wield them

cut it meet the required standard. informal

2014Eric S. RaymondArmed and Dangerous It's a problem that requires a much higher-level analysis than simply looking at the strict definitions. There's no single Obvious Right Thing, so a simple algorithm won't cut it.

cut it out used to ask someone to stop doing or saying something that is annoying or offensive. informal

make (or miss) the cut come up to (or fail to come up to) a required standard.

☞ In golf, a player has to equal or better a particular score in order to avoid elimination from the last two rounds of a four-round tournament. If the player succeeds, they make the cut.

☞ For other idioms containing cut, see the entry for the main word in the idiom (for example, cut the mustard at mustard).