cut corners

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]

Example Sentences

The NAO, which monitors how public money is spent, cited an "under-skilled workforce", businesses cutting corners and uncertainty over which standards to apply to which jobs, as some of the reasons for the substandard work.

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If you are anxious about your injury or fear that you won’t bounce back, you might not trust the process and end up cutting corners on the recovery plan.

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Many environmentalists and community members had worried the speed of the cleanup might lead to workers cutting corners or substandard workmanship.

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In the complaint, workers said that management had caused the problems by cutting corners on ordering cleaning supplies such as dish soap and grill cleaner.

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The man said the time and administrative hurdles involved in obtaining US visas had encouraged foreign companies to cut corners in order to finish projects on time, but they might now need to reassess.

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Related Words

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• keep 
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• spare 
• store