Meaning
To do something the easiest, cheapest, or quickest way by skipping steps, skimping on materials, or ignoring rules. Nearly always critical, implying that the resulting work is inferior, unsafe, or dishonest rather than simply efficient. Informal and disapproving; implies inferior, unsafe, or dishonest shortcuts. Regional use: General English.
Origin
The phrase began as a literal term from driving and riding: steering as close to a corner as possible to shorten the route. A Baltimore sporting magazine of 1831 praises young gentlemen who 'can handle the ribbands as well, and cut a corner as close, as any whip in old England', and the OED's earliest literal citation (1856) defines cutting a corner as passing round 'as close to the inside of the bend as possible', typically of reckless driving. The figurative sense is first cited from the Huddersfield Examiner in 1868, condemning 'the art of cutting the corners, and other less legitimate tricks' - already implying sharp practice rather than mere efficiency. Mark Twain used the literal sense of a gondolier in Innocents Abroad (1869). Etymonline dates the literal sense to 1847 and the figurative to 1882, slightly at odds with the OED-backed dates above.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- cut a corner
- cut a few corners
- cut corners on something
- cutting corners
Usage Examples
- The builder cut corners on waterproofing, and the roof leaked within a year.
- We cannot afford to cut any corners with the safety inspection.
- Auditors concluded that the supplier had been cutting corners for years to meet delivery targets.