to cut it close
6
5.0
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
llegar justo a tiempo
- You're cutting it close.
- really cut it close
Examples
-
The appointment ran super late, and I was freaking because I was cutting it close to get Avery off the bus.
Blog text (5) -
We're cutting it close.
-
You cut it close today.
-
You cut it close, you know.
-
I do cut it close too sometimes, but close is still on time!
Blog text (24) -
I know it's cutting it close.
-
Talk about cutting it close!
-
We were cutting it close.
-
6:30 is cutting it close.
-
We really cut it close this time by finishing the project just before the deadline.
Antonyms
How Close
9
1.3
101
2.5
- Informal
6
5.0
179
1.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is partially inferable because 'cut' (to reduce) plus 'close' (near in time) together suggest reducing the time margin so something happens very near its deadline. However, the pronoun 'it' is a dummy referent and the construction is idiomatic in usage, so the precise sense and pragmatic constraints are not fully predictable for a B1 learner who has not seen the phrase before.
Etymology
Cut it close may come from the image of making a cut very close to the edge, so there is almost no room left. That picture shows the meaning: to leave very little time and 'risk being late'.