deep cut

American  

[deep kuht] / ˈdip ˈkʌt /

noun

1. a song that is less widely played and less well-known than other songs on the same album or by the same artist.

   The band performed a fan-favorite deep cut as part of their encore, and the crowd went wild!

2. anything, but especially media such as a television show, movie, video game, or book, that is not well-known to the general public, but has a fan base or cult following.

   This list of the top 25 horror films of all time has some deep cuts I’d never seen before.

3. a reference to a television show, movie, video game, book, etc., that would be appreciated or understood only by fellow fans, similar to an homage or inside joke.

   My husband’s joke about how he plays sax and I play clarinet, so our kids should learn to play piano and drums and then we can start our own Mos Eisley cantina band is a pretty deep cut.

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Etymology

Origin of deep cut

First recorded in 2005–10

Example Sentences

“Burn After Reading,” and lastly, it’s a deep cut, there’s this movie called “Like Crazy,” starring Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

That song opened Friday night's encore, which dwelt largely on their 90s material, including Let Down - a deep cut that's had a new lease of life on TikTok - and the epic Paranoid Android.

From BBC • Nov. 21, 2025

Featuring stars Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon, the best friends jam out to Flack's deep cut, "It Might Be You," with Houston's voice at the forefront.

From Salon • Feb. 24, 2025

Some of Albert’s colleagues from the art trade assessed the art for the Nazis — a personal deep cut for him.

From New York Times • Jun. 17, 2024

Now they could see the little road ahead of them, deep cut with sand-drifted wheel tracks.

From "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck