deep cut

[ deep kuht ]

noun

1. a song that is less widely played and less well-known than other songs on the same album or by the same artist:

   The band performed a fan-favorite deep cut as part of their encore, and the crowd went wild!

2. anything, but especially media such as a television show, movie, video game, or book, that is not well-known to the general public, but has a fan base or cult following:

   This list of the top 25 horror films of all time has some deep cuts I’d never seen before.

3. a reference to a television show, movie, video game, book, etc., that would be appreciated or understood only by fellow fans, similar to an homage or inside joke:

   My husband’s joke about how he plays sax and I play clarinet, so our kids should learn to play piano and drums and then we can start our own Mos Eisley cantina band is a pretty deep cut.

Word History and Origins

Origin of deep cut¹

First recorded in 2005–10

Example Sentences

In their 2010 deep cut, the Drive-By Truckers astutely capture the lunacy of the family gathering.

From The Daily Beast

Then Androcles saw that a monster thorn had entered the paw, making a deep cut, and causing great pain and swelling.

From Project Gutenberg

Turning to the walls we find them covered with pictures, not coloured but done in outline by means of deep-cut clean lines.

From Project Gutenberg

As for the deep-cut pictures everywhere on the walls we can only get the merest glimpses of them.

From Project Gutenberg

The blow left a deep cut from which the blood flowed in a stream, and Vorlange was completely stunned.

From Project Gutenberg

I marked that beneath this hole there was a deep cut in the door, as though a great nail had been driven in.

From Project Gutenberg