cut across

British  

verb

1. (intr) to be contrary to ordinary procedure or limitations

   opinion on European integration still cuts clean across party lines

2. to cross or traverse, making a shorter route

   she cut across the field quickly

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cut across Idioms  

1. Go beyond, transcend, as in The new regulations cut across class lines. This figurative use of cut across, which literally means “run through” or “intersect,” dates from the 1920s.

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Example Sentences

These atypical numbers cut across the spectrum of the blood panel, Cheng said.

From Los Angeles Times

It follows Storm Amy in October which caused travel disruption and power cuts across tens of thousands of homes in Scotland.

From BBC

Job cuts across the country are the highest they have been in five years, led by layoffs in California and cutbacks in Washington.

From Los Angeles Times

The first is that the fractures expanded in two distinct phases: long fractures aligned with the direction of ice flow appeared first, followed later by shorter fractures that cut across the flow.

From Science Daily

Duncan finally put his team on the board late in the third quarter when he found Kwazi Gilmer cutting across the field for an 18-yard touchdown.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cruise
• navigate
• pass over
• ply
• sail
• span
• traverse