cut corners

Idioms  

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]

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Example Sentences

Being scrappy isn’t cutting corners; it’s honoring what’s already here, coaxing richness, texture, and a kind of unexpected delight from what was almost discarded.

From Salon

The risk of the high-speed approach is that the administration cuts corners and finds itself entangled in a protracted legal morass, legal and energy experts said.

From The Wall Street Journal

An Evri courier of 10 years told us their colleagues were "cutting corners" because they had to deliver so much in terms of volume to get a decent wage.

From BBC

“I was cutting corners,” he acknowledged, marking packages as delivered so he could leave work a few minutes early.

From Los Angeles Times

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.

From BBC

Related Words

• collect
• conserve
• keep
• maintain
• manage
• spare
• store