cut up

verb

1. to cut into pieces

2. to inflict injuries on

3. informal,  (usually passive) to affect the feelings of deeply

4. informal,  to subject to severe criticism

5. informal,  (of a driver) to overtake or pull in front of (another driver) in a dangerous manner

6. informal,  to become angry or bad-tempered

noun

1. informal,  a joker or prankster

Idioms and Phrases

Divide into smaller parts, break the continuity of, as in These meetings have cut up my whole day . [c. 1800]

Severely censure or criticize, as in The reviewer cut up the book mercilessly . [Mid-1700s]

be cut up . Be distressed or saddened, as in I was terribly cut up when she left . [Mid-1800s] Charles Dickens used this idiom in A Christmas Carol (1844): “Scrooge was not so dreadfully cut up by the sad event.”

Behave in a playful, comic, or boisterous way, as in On the last night of camp the children usually cut up . [Late 1800s]

cut up rough . Act in a rowdy, angry, or violent way, as in After a beer or two the boys began to cut up rough . [ Slang ; first half of 1800s]

Example Sentences

Amazon announced Tuesday that it was laying off thousands of workers, kick-starting a plan to cut up to 30,000 jobs.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"It's happening weekly... someone will cut up a hearse or not let us out at a junction cutting in between the cortege and separating families," Mr Griffiths said.

Read more on BBC

Her mum, a teacher at the school, was helping her cut up food and make trips to the toilet in between lessons.

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"It's cut up right now. I think 78% of the land is already taken by Russia... I said: cut and stop at the battle line. Go home. Stop fighting, stop killing people."

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He did seem a bit cut up about it afterwards, mind you, when he met up again with his fellow traitors.

Read more on BBC