cut out
Preserved but no longer current.
Left in the lurch ; superseded. In cards, when there are too many for a game (say whist), it is customary for the players to cut out after a rubber, in order that another player may have a turn. This is done by the players cutting the cards on the table, when the lowest turn-up gives place to the new hand.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “cut out” mean?
Left in the lurch ; superseded. In cards, when there are too many for a game (say whist), it is customary for the players to cut out after a rubber, in order that another player may have a turn. This is done by the players cutting the cards on the table, when the lowest turn-up gives place to the new hand.
Is “cut out” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.