Cut \Cut\ (k[u^]t), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cut; p. pr. & vb. n.
Cutting.] [OE. cutten, kitten, ketten; prob. of Celtic
origin; cf. W. cwtau to shorten, curtail, dock, cwta
bobtailed, cwt tail, skirt, Gael. cutaich to shorten,
curtail, dock, cutach short, docked, cut a bobtail, piece,
Ir. cut a short tail, cutach bobtailed. Cf. Coot.]
1. To separate the parts of with, or as with, a sharp
instrument; to make an incision in; to gash; to sever; to
divide.
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You must cut this flesh from off his breast. --Shak.
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Before the whistling winds the vessels fly,
With rapid swiftness cut the liquid way. --Pope.
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2. To sever and cause to fall for the purpose of gathering;
to hew; to mow or reap.
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Thy servants can skill to cut timer. --2. Chron.
ii. 8
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3. To sever and remove by cutting; to cut off; to dock; as,
to cut the hair; to cut the nails.
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4. To castrate or geld; as, to cut a horse.
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5. To form or shape by cutting; to make by incision, hewing,
etc.; to carve; to hew out.
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Why should a man. whose blood is warm within,
Sit like his grandsire cut in alabaster? --Shak.
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Loopholes cut through thickest shade. --Milton.
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6. To wound or hurt deeply the sensibilities of; to pierce;
to lacerate; as, sarcasm cuts to the quick.
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The man was cut to the heart. --Addison.
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7. To intersect; to cross; as, one line cuts another at right
angles.
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8. To refuse to recognize; to ignore; as, to cut a person in
the street; to cut one's acquaintance. [Colloq.]
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9. To absent one's self from; as, to cut an appointment, a
recitation. etc. [Colloq.]
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An English tradesman is always solicitous to cut the
shop whenever he can do so with impunity. --Thomas
Hamilton.
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10. (Cricket) To deflect (a bowled ball) to the off, with a
chopping movement of the bat.
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11. (Billiards, etc.) To drive (an object ball) to either
side by hitting it fine on the other side with the cue
ball or another object ball.
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12. (Lawn Tennis, etc.) To strike (a ball) with the racket
inclined or struck across the ball so as to put a certain
spin on the ball.
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13. (Croquet) To drive (a ball) to one side by hitting with
another ball.
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To cut a caper. See under Caper.
To cut the cards, to divide a pack of cards into portions,
in order to determine the deal or the trump, or to change
the cards to be dealt.
To cut both ways, to have effects both advantageous and
disadvantageous.
To cut corners, to deliberately do an incomplete or
imperfect job in order to save time or money.
To cut a dash or To cut a figure, to make a display of
oneself; to give a conspicuous impression. [Colloq.]
To cut down.
(a) To sever and cause to fall; to fell; to prostrate.
"Timber . . . cut down in the mountains of Cilicia."
--Knolles.
(b) To put down; to abash; to humble. [Obs] "So great is
his natural eloquence, that he cuts down the finest
orator." --Addison
(c) To lessen; to retrench; to curtail; as, to cut down
expenses.
(d) (Naut.) To raze; as, to cut down a frigate into a
sloop.
To cut the knot or To cut the Gordian knot, to dispose of
a difficulty summarily; to solve it by prompt, arbitrary
action, rather than by skill or patience.
To cut lots, to determine lots by cuttings cards; to draw
lots.
To cut off.
(a) To sever; to separate.
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I would to God, . . .
The king had cut off my brother's. --Shak.
(b) To put an untimely death; to put an end to; to
destroy. "Iren[ae]us was likewise cut off by
martyrdom." --Addison.
(c) To interrupt; as, to cut off communication; to cut
off (the flow of) steam from (the boiler to) a steam
engine.
(d) To intercept; as,, to cut off an enemy's retreat.
(e) To end; to finish; as, to cut off further debate.
To cut out.
(a) To remove by cutting or carving; as, to cut out a
piece from a board.
(b) To shape or form by cutting; as, to cut out a
garment. " A large forest cut out into walks."
--Addison.
(c) To scheme; to contrive; to prepare; as, to cut out
work for another day. "Every man had cut out a place
for himself." --Addison.
(d) To step in and take the place of; to supplant; as, to
cut out a rival. [Colloq.]
(e) To debar. "I am cut out from anything but common
acknowledgments." --Pope.
(f) To seize and carry off (a vessel) from a harbor, or
from under the guns of an enemy.
(g) to separate from the midst of a number; as, to cut
out a steer from a herd; to cut out a car from a
train.
(h) to discontinue; as, to cut out smoking.
To cut to pieces.
(a) To cut into pieces; as, to cut cloth to pieces.
(b) To slaughter; as, to cut an army to pieces.
To cut a play (Drama), to shorten it by leaving out
passages, to adapt it for the stage.
To cut rates (Railroads, etc.), to reduce the charges for
transportation below the rates established between
competing lines.
To cut short, to arrest or check abruptly; to bring to a
sudden termination. "Achilles cut him short, and thus
replied." --Dryden.
To cut stick, to make off clandestinely or precipitately.
[Slang]
To cut teeth, to put forth teeth; to have the teeth pierce
through the gum and appear.
To have cut one's eyeteeth, to be sharp and knowing.
[Colloq.]
To cut one's wisdom teeth, to come to years of discretion.
To cut under, to undersell; as, to cut under a competitor
in trade; more commonly referred to as undercut.
To cut up.
(a) To cut to pieces; as, to cut up an animal, or bushes.
(b) To damage or destroy; to injure; to wound; as, to cut
up a book or its author by severe criticism. "This
doctrine cuts up all government by the roots."
--Locke.
(c) To afflict; to discourage; to demoralize; as, the
death of his friend cut him up terribly. [Colloq.]
--Thackeray.
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Figure \Fig"ure\ (f[i^]g"[-u]r; 135), n. [F., figure, L. figura;
akin to fingere to form, shape, feign. See Feign.]
1. The form of anything; shape; outline; appearance.
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Flowers have all exquisite figures. --Bacon.
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2. The representation of any form, as by drawing, painting,
modeling, carving, embroidering, etc.; especially, a
representation of the human body; as, a figure in bronze;
a figure cut in marble.
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A coin that bears the figure of an angel. --Shak.
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3. A pattern in cloth, paper, or other manufactured article;
a design wrought out in a fabric; as, the muslin was of a
pretty figure.
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4. (Geom.) A diagram or drawing, made to represent a
magnitude or the relation of two or more magnitudes; a
surface or space inclosed on all sides; -- called
superficial when inclosed by lines, and solid when
inclosed by surfaces; any arrangement made up of points,
lines, angles, surfaces, etc.
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5. The appearance or impression made by the conduct or career
of a person; as, a sorry figure.
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I made some figure there. --Dryden.
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Gentlemen of the best figure in the county.
--Blackstone.
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6. Distinguished appearance; magnificence; conspicuous
representation; splendor; show.
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That he may live in figure and indulgence. --Law.
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7. A character or symbol representing a number; a numeral; a
digit; as, 1, 2,3, etc.
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8. Value, as expressed in numbers; price; as, the goods are
estimated or sold at a low figure. [Colloq.]
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With nineteen thousand a year at the very lowest
figure. --Thackeray.
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9. A person, thing, or action, conceived of as analogous to
another person, thing, or action, of which it thus becomes
a type or representative.
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Who is the figure of Him that was to come. --Rom. v.
14.
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10. (Rhet.) A mode of expressing abstract or immaterial ideas
by words which suggest pictures or images from the
physical world; pictorial language; a trope; hence, any
deviation from the plainest form of statement. Also
called a figure of speech.
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To represent the imagination under the figure of a
wing. --Macaulay.
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11. (Logic) The form of a syllogism with respect to the
relative position of the middle term.
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12. (Dancing) Any one of the several regular steps or
movements made by a dancer.
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13. (Astrol.) A horoscope; the diagram of the aspects of the
astrological houses. --Johnson.
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14. (Music)
(a) Any short succession of notes, either as melody or as
a group of chords, which produce a single complete
and distinct impression. --Grove.
(b) A form of melody or accompaniment kept up through a
strain or passage; a musical phrase or motive; a
florid embellishment.
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Note: Figures are often written upon the staff in music to
denote the kind of measure. They are usually in the
form of a fraction, the upper figure showing how many
notes of the kind indicated by the lower are contained
in one measure or bar. Thus, 2/4 signifies that the
measure contains two quarter notes. The following are
the principal figures used for this purpose: --
2/22/42/8 4/22/44/8 3/23/43/8 6/46/46/8
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Academy figure, Canceled figures, Lay figure, etc. See
under Academy, Cancel, Lay, etc.
Figure caster, or Figure flinger, an astrologer. "This
figure caster." --Milton.
Figure flinging, the practice of astrology.
Figure-of-eight knot, a knot shaped like the figure 8. See
Illust. under Knot.
Figure painting, a picture of the human figure, or the act
or art of depicting the human figure.
Figure stone (Min.), agalmatolite.
Figure weaving, the art or process of weaving figured
fabrics.
To cut a figure, to make a display. [Colloq.] --Sir W.
Scott.
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