cutup
Americannoun
Usage
What does cutup mean? Cutup is an informal word for someone who’s known for being a jokester or prankster—someone who’s funny and also probably a bit mischievous. Example: Jane is all business at the office but she’s a real cutup at parties—she’s so funny!Less commonly, the noun cutup (especially when it’s hyphenated as cut-up) refers to an artwork composed from the arrangement of other separate pieces, especially a poem constructed from other works. This can also be called a cut-up poem. Such a work can be created with what’s called the cut-up technique. The phrasal verb cut up has several different meanings, including, most straightforwardly, to cut something into smaller pieces. This sense of the phrase is sometimes used in the form of an adjective, in which case it’s hyphenated, as in I always pack some cut-up fruit in the kids’ lunches.
Etymology
Origin of cutup
First recorded in 1775–85; noun use of verb phrase cut up
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Cutup that he was, Casey never allowed practical joking to interfere with business.
From Time Magazine Archive
Dean Martin is a teacher at a girls' school and Cutup Jerry Lewis is a barber's apprentice.
From Time Magazine Archive
From hence we went for Gulconda, the king whereof is called Cutup de lashach.
From The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 10 Asia, Part III by Hakluyt, Richard
"But you said you wanted it for Jasper Cutup," gasps the author, supporting himself against the water-cooler.
From A Wodehouse Miscellany Articles & Stories by Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville)
The only proviso is that this manager does not need a piece built around two stars, but one suited to the needs of Jasper Cutup, the well-known comedian, whom he has under contract.
From A Wodehouse Miscellany Articles & Stories by Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
