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

Mary, her right arm extended toward Christ in a gesture of farewell or a reference to heaven above, forms part of a diagonal cutting across the painting that adds more dynamism to the drama.

From The Wall Street Journal

The loans that Blue Owl sold, which cut across 128 different companies in 27 industries, are illiquid, hard to value and lack market quotes.

From The Wall Street Journal

When two birds finally lifted off, their movement cut across the industrial scene.

From BBC

Now locals are again debating whether the street, which cuts across a swath of apartment complexes, car shops and mom-and-pop businesses, should be renamed once more.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ferridge said changes in expectations for interest rate cuts across central banks, including at the Bank of England, are “ridiculous.”

From MarketWatch

Related Words

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