cut corners

Idioms  

1. Do something in the easiest or least expensive way; also, act illegally. For example, Cutting corners in production led to a definite loss in product quality, or If the accountant cuts corners the auditors are sure to find out. This term alludes to rounding a corner as closely as possible in order to shorten the distance traversed and/or save time. [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

Caviar and truffle prices are skyrocketing, forcing Tirel to cut corners while clinging to his restaurant’s former glory.

From Los Angeles Times

While misconduct is often portrayed as the work of individual researchers cutting corners, the Northwestern team discovered something far more complex.

From Science Daily

But as Longwell explained, Paxton’s bad behavior gets interpreted as evidence that he’s a “fighter” who is willing to cut corners to “get things done.”

From Salon

The stakes are high for her and anyone else who may be unaware that their tax preparer cut corners or committed fraud — even if it happened decades ago, the court papers said.

From MarketWatch

This approach also demonstrates that we can use common sense to achieve the same statistically robust conclusions without cutting corners on safety.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• collect
• conserve
• keep
• maintain
• manage
• spare
• store