Cut corners means to do something faster or more cheaply than you should, skipping important steps, so the quality suffers: in building work, in manufacturing or in your studies. The expression is disapproving. You will hear it in conversation and in the news; in an essay, a more neutral option is compromise on quality.
When would you say cut corners?
Write a sentence — we'll check that the expression fits the situation and suggest what to fix.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
cut corners (on + something); cut corners to + verb
- The builders cut corners on the wiring, and now the lights keep flickering.
- Students who cut corners on their reading usually struggle in the final exam.
- The airline was accused of cutting corners on safety to save money.
What changed
First versionIf we cut corners through the park, we'll get to the station faster.
RevisionIf we take a shortcut through the park, we'll get to the station faster.
Cut corners can look like a way of saying take a shorter route, but in English it is used figuratively, to mean doing a job badly. For a shorter way to get somewhere, the phrase is take a shortcut. Only this phrase was replaced; the rest of the sentence did not change.
Cut costs is a neutral phrase for reducing spending, and it can be a sensible decision. Cut corners means saving at the expense of quality or safety. The hotel cut costs by switching to a cheaper energy supplier. The hotel cut corners by hiring staff without any training.
Your turn
The builders ___ to finish the house early, and now water comes through the ceiling every time it rains.
Show the answer
cut corners — The house was finished early and now the ceiling leaks, so the work was rushed and poorly done: cut corners. Cut costs only means reducing spending, and it does not explain how the builders finished early.
Think of a time when someone saved time or money at the expense of quality: a repair, an order or a study project. Write what they saved on and what it led to.
The company that renovated our kitchen cut corners on the pipes, and two months later we had a leak.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.