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Glite Dictionary
to cut someone's throat

to cut someone's throat

8.4
To betray or hurt someone to get an advantage
  • idiom
  • Offensive
translation icon : apuñalar por la espalda
  • She felt betrayed after discovering her colleague tried to cut her throat in the meeting by taking credit for her ideas.

Examples

  • He realized that his friend was willing to cut his throat for a promotion, undermining their long-standing relationship.

  • For telling you that, they would cut my throat.

    Red Sparrow (2018)

  • His card's marked, and this time the bloke will cut his throat.

    Nil by Mouth (1997)

  • Well, then, why... if they're gonna shoot them all anyway, why... did they first cut Clutter's throat?

    In Cold Blood (1967)

  • In a competitive business environment, some people will cut your throat to advance their own careers.

Synonyms

to take advantage of
vsto cut someone's throat
465 2.5

Use someone's trust or weakness to get something unfairly

involves active harm or treachery to gain advantage, not only exploitation
to betray
vsto cut someone's throat
111 4.1

Give people or information to an enemy

focuses on harming or treachery committed specifically for personal advantage
to sell down the river
vsto cut someone's throat
  • Informal
12 8.8

To betray someone to get something for yourself

is the act of harming or betraying to gain advantage
to backstab
vsto cut someone's throat
  • Informal
5 6.6

To secretly betray someone who trusts you

may be done openly or secretly to gain personal advantage
to stick the knife in
vsto cut someone's throat
  • Informal
1 9.4

Say or do something on purpose to hurt someone who is already in trouble

is about harming or betraying to gain advantage, not only cruel timing

Antonyms

help
∞ 1.0

An act that makes something easier for someone

to support
753 1.4

Give money or other help so a person can live and study

How Harmful

to ruin
∞ 2.0
to cut someone's throat
  • Offensive
8.4
backstab
  • Informal
1 7.8
to betray
397 4.2
to undermine
270 6.8

Surface Forms

cut someone's throat infinitive

Morphology

cut + someone's + throat

The meaning is a metaphorical extension of the literal components 'cut' and 'throat' — the image of severe harm is mapped onto harming or betraying someone to gain advantage. This connection is partly accessible to learners, but the specific sense of betrayal/advantage (rather than literal violence or general hostility) is not fully predictable for a B1 learner, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

The expression cut someone's throat paints a violent picture: someone cuts another's throat to remove a rival and take their place. So it now means 'harm or betray someone, especially to gain an advantage'.