cut-and-try

American  

[kuht-n-trahy] / ˈkʌt nˈtraɪ /

adjective

1. marked by a procedure of trial and error; empirical.

   Many scientific advances are achieved with a cut-and-try approach.

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Etymology

Origin of cut-and-try

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

He calculates the delicate balances of each part by the cut-and-try method.

From Time Magazine Archive

To test a new missile by the cut-and-try method of actual flight is expensive not only in money, but also in more precious time.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Rad Lab returned to the days of cut-and-try; any configuration that produced a stronger or sharper beam was incorporated into the standard, even if the experimenters could not figure out why it worked.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

It may be stated, therefore, that the design of induction coils is nearly always carried out by "cut-and-try" methods, bringing to bear, of course, such scientific and practical knowledge as the experimenter may possess.

From Cyclopedia of Telephony & Telegraphy Vol. 1 A General Reference Work on Telephony, etc. etc. by Miller, Kempster

And the physical sciences were deciphered only slowly, by a process of cut-and-try and cut-and-try again.

From Dead Giveaway by Garrett, Randall