cutting

Etymology

in London, UK]] From cut + -ing.

noun

1. (countable, uncountable) The action of the verb to cut.
   How many different cuttings can this movie undergo?
   The first stage of the demolition work consisted of removing, by oxy-acetylene cutting, the whole of the plate floor, cross-girders, and lattice parapets. 1946 January and February, “Notes and News: Demolition of Rhydyfelin Viaduct”, in Railway Magazine, page 53
   The first industrial use of CO₂ lasers was the cutting of plywood dye boards for the packaging industry. … The laser cutting process has a number of advantages over competing technologies which have ensured the growth of this branch of industry: … 1993, John Powell, “The Basic Principles”, in CO₂ Laser Cutting, London, Berlin: Springer-Verlag, →DOI, section 1.1 (The Cutting Process), pages 2–3
   Female genital cutting is an intentional, nonmedical modification of the female genitalia. It is commonly performed on girls between the ages of 4 and 16, although in some cases it is performed on infants as young as three months old. 2014, Mary Nyangweso, “Female Genital Cutting: An Overview”, in Female Genital Cutting in Industrialized Countries: Mutilation or Cultural Tradition?, Santa Barbara, Calif.: Praeger, ABC-CLIO, page 15
2. (countable) A section removed from a larger whole.
   1. (countable) A newspaper clipping.
      Extract from "Newspaper Cuttings relating to Sussex," (Sussex Archaeological Collections, 1872, pp. 140, 141.) p. 1871, Smuggling & Smugglers in Sussex.[…], Brighton, East Sussex: W. J. Smith,[…], →OCLC, page 263
      The Witness. [After a farther inspection of the newspaper cutting.] No; it is not in that part about Weber, but here [indicating another newspaper cutting] is the agreement that Mr. Wilder was testifying about, and that has Weber's name. 13 July 1878, Henry C. Fisk (witness), “Eleventh Day”, in Presidential Election Investigation: Testimony Taken by the Select Committee on Alleged Frauds in the Presidential Election of 1876 (45th Congress, 3d Session, House of Representatives Mis. Doc.; 31, part 3), volume III (Testimony Relating to Louisiana), Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, published 1879, →OCLC, page 252
      H.P. Lovecraft, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward Moved by some vague presentiment amidst the horrors of that period, Willett arranged with an international press-cutting bureau for accounts of notable current crimes and accidents in Prague and in eastern Transylvania; and after six months believed that he had found two very significant things amongst the multifarious items he received and had translated.
   2. (countable, horticulture) A leaf, stem, branch, or root removed from a plant and cultivated to grow a new plant.
      To propagate by cuttings, is to cut off the branch or ſtem of a Plant, and to ſet it in the Earth without Roots. Strip it of leaves and branches, Plant deeper than theſe with Roots, and in a rich and moiſt ſoil, keeping it watered and ſhaded, Untill Rooted; cut off their Tops ſave Greens, as if your cutting be 12 Inches long, let 9 be under, and 3 above ground. 1683, John Reid, “Of the Several Wayes of Propagation”, in The Scots Gard’ner:[…], Edinburgh: […] David Lindsay,[…], →OCLC, 2nd part (Treating of the Culture of Plants), paragraph 5, page 59
      The method of propagating the Box is perfectly easy: it may be raised from cuttings, or from seed, or by layering. … For planting the cuttings, [Thomas] Hanbury says the month of August is the best time, if any rain falls. 1803, [William] Marshall, “Buxus”, in On Planting and Rural Ornament. A Practical Treatise, … In Two Volumes, 3rd edition, volume II, London: […] G[eorge] and W. Nicol,[…]; G[eorge] and J[ohn] Robinson,[…]; and T[homas] Cadell and W[illiam] Davies,[…], →OCLC, page 47
      Allison carried it all home, and then spent a long time that evening out on the back porch, wrapping up Ida's collection of rooted cuttings, each snuff tin and plastic cup in its own carefully fashioned sleeve of wet newspaper. 2002, Donna Tartt, “Chapter 6”, in The Little Friend, page 396
3. (countable) An abridged selection of written work, often intended for performance.
   The actor had to make his cutting shorter to fit the audition time.
4. (countable, Britain) An open passage at a level lower than the surrounding terrain, dug for a canal, railway, or road to go through.
   [T]he railway, however, will require a farther outlay to render it complete, though the locomotive engine has passed over every foot of ground from Liverpool to Salford. The slopes of the cuttings want dressing, and several of them want protecting with foot walls. 1832, “Documents in Relation to the Comparative Merits of Canals and Railroads, Submitted by Mr. Howard, of Maryland,[…]. (Doc. No. 101) [No. 7. Observations upon the Cost of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.]”, in Executive Documents, Printed by Order of the House of Representatives, at the First Session of the Twenty-second Congress,[…] In Seven Volumes, volume III, Washington, D.C.: […] Duff Green, →OCLC, page 211
   We flash across the level. / We thunder thro' the bridges. / We bicker down the cuttings. / We sway along the ridges. 1876, William Ernest Henley, “[Poem] XXI”, in A Book of Verses, 3rd edition, New York, N.Y.: Scribner & Welford, published 1891, →OCLC, page 77
   No borrow pit excavation was necessary, and 41,000 cu. yd. were removed from cuttings by excavating machines. 1944 November and December, “Increasing G.W.R. Line Capacity”, in Railway Magazine, page 367
   On the descent the line is often in cuttings; some are high, such as at Scarcroft, where a cut through firestone and fireclay was necessary, and near Bardsey, where the line threads a deep tree-lined gorge. 1961 February, D. Bertram, “The lines to Wetherby and their traffic”, in Trains Illustrated, page 101
5. (uncountable, cinematography, sound engineering) The editing of film or other recordings.
6. (uncountable, machining) The process of bringing metals to a desired shape by chipping away the unwanted material.
   Boring, drilling, milling, and turning are all different kinds of metal cutting processes.
   Metal-cutting tools often have two cutting edges, both of which are angled to the direction of cutting, and in round-nosed tools the inclination continuously varies …. 2009, Tony Atkins, “Slice–Push Ratio: Oblique Cutting and Curved Blades, Scissors, Guillotining and Drilling”, in The Science and Engineering of Cutting: The Mechanics and Processes of Separating, Scratching and Puncturing Biomaterials, Metals and Non-metals, Oxford, Oxfordshire, Amsterdam: Butterworth-Heinemann, section 5.1 (Introduction), page 111
7. (uncountable, psychology) The act of cutting one's own skin as a symptom of a mental disorder; self-harm.
   Cutting has become one of the most popular forms of self-injury, but there are others at well, and each is just as dangerous as cutting. The information here might help you recognize the signs of self-injury in others. 2014, Greg Roza, “What is Self-injury?”, in Cutting and Self-injury (Teen Mental Health), New York, N.Y.: Rosen Publishing Group, page 7

adj

1. That is used for cutting.
   I need some sort of cutting utensil to get through this shrink wrap.
   The power consumed in metal cutting is largely converted into heat near the cutting edge of the tool, and many of the economic and technical problems of machining are caused directly or indirectly by this heating action. 1984, E[dward] M[oor] Trent, “Heat in Metal Cutting”, in Metal Cutting, 2nd edition, London, Boston, Mass.: Butterworths & Co., published 1989, page 54
2. Piercing, sharp.
   The weather was atrocious, with bitterly cold wind and cutting sleet—rather appropriate, considering Aunt Fonteyn's temperament. 2004 June, P[atricia] N[ead] Elrod, chapter 12, in Death Masque (Adventures of Jonathan Barrett, Gentleman Vampire; 3), Dallas, Tex.: BenBella Books, page 211
3. Of criticism, remarks, etc.: (potentially) hurtful.
   The director gave the auditioning actors cutting criticism.
   [H]e concludes with this cutting remark, But Benefactors may give Money, but not grateful Minds to ſuch as receive it. 1703, Ambr[ose] Philips, “An Appendix to the Life of Abp. Williams”, in The Life of John Williams, Lᵈ Keeper of the Great Seal, Bishop of Lincoln, and ABp. [Archbishop] of York.[…], 2nd edition, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] A[bel] Roper[…]; and R. Basset[…], →OCLC, page 311
   Poor Betsy had often been the subject of Tommy's jokes; many a cutting remark had been made about her dress, which, though clean and whole, was always poor and old-fashioned; … 1861 September, “The Little Gleaner”, in The Child’s Companion, and Juvenile Instructor, number 201, London: The Religious Tract Society; […], →OCLC, page 260
4. (India) Of a beverage: half-sized.
   a cutting chai

verb

1. present participle and gerund of cut