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Glite Dictionary
to cut slack

to cut slack

1 5.5
Treat someone less strictly because they are having trouble
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : ser indulgente
  • It don't cut slack here as far as I'm concerned.

Examples

  • During tough times, it is important to cut slack for your friends who are struggling.

  • It's harder than people think to cut slack when it's about you.

    Blog text (32)

  • I get being misled, and can cut slack for those who jumped before being told not to and apologized as soon as they saw that they jumped the gun.

    Blog text (2)

  • The manager decided to cut slack for employees who were late due to the severe weather.

  • Teachers often cut slack for students who are facing personal challenges during exams.

Synonyms

to loosen
vsto cut slack
83 3.3

Make rules or limits less strict

shows leniency toward a person rather than changing the rules

Antonyms

to tighten
93 3.5

To make rules or limits stricter

How Lenient

to let off the hook
  • Informal
64 4.1
to cut slack
  • Informal
1 5.5
to soften the blow
  • Informal
8 4.7

Surface Forms

cut slack infinitive
cut slack past
cut slack past participle
cutting slack present participle
cuts slack third person singular

Morphology

cut + slack

The noun/adjective 'slack' clearly relates to laxity or leniency, so there is a thematic connection to the idiomatic meaning. However, the verb 'cut' does not transparently convey 'grant' or 'give' to many learners (and could be misinterpreted as 'reduce'), so the overall meaning is only partially predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

Cut slack may come from old rope work: 'slack' is loose rope, and to cut someone some slack meant to let out extra rope so they had room to move. So it came to mean 'to treat someone less strictly'.