Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
slug cutter

slug cutter

9.8
A tool used in traditional printing to cut thin lead strips for spacing type
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : cortador de slugs
  • The printer used a slug cutter to prepare the necessary lead strips.

Examples

  • Historic print shops often display a slug cutter alongside type cases and composing sticks.

  • A slug cutter is essential for setting up traditional letterpress type.

  • The slug cutter is essential for typesetters.

  • Many slug cutters are made from durable materials.

  • A slug cutter is a vital tool for cutting lead strips to adjust the spacing in printed materials.

  • Using a slug cutter, the typesetter efficiently created precise lead pieces for the printing press.

  • In the workshop, various tools were arranged, including a slug cutter for preparing typeset lead slugs.

Surface Forms

slug cutter singular
slug cutters plural

Morphology

slug + cutter

The compound combines 'slug' (a small metal spacer in typesetting) with 'cutter' (a tool for cutting), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it is a tool for cutting slugs. Although the item is domain-specific to printing, the meaning is directly compositional and follows a straightforward noun + agent/instrument pattern, making it predictable to B1 learners.

Etymology

Slug cutter comes from old printing. A slug was a short strip of lead used to space lines, and a cutter was the tool that cut those slugs, so the name means 'a tool that cuts lead strips'.