The phrase “cut the mustard” means “not up to the mark” or “not to expected standards”. Hardly a phrase that would have been adopted with the meaning of success or excellence.
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Cut the mustard origin. This maturing of the mustard produced a thick, leathery crust at the top of the barrel which would need to be removed before the contents could be tested. Perform satisfactorily, as in we need a better catcher; But why that exact phrase, nobody seems to know.
The first recorded use of the phrase cut the mustard was by o. Possibly derived from the idiom 'to pass muster', an expression for assembling military troops for inspection. In one of them, which is believed to have been written around the year 1909, it reads:
“i looked around and found a proposition that exactly cut the mustard”. 3 examples of cut the mustard. Origin of “cut the mustard”.
This line of thought appears to have been influenced by confusion with the term 'pass muster', which would have the correct meaning, but which could hardly be argued to be the origin of 'cut the mustard'. In other words, it fails to meet expectations or doesn't meet a given need. Definitions by the largest idiom dictionary.
Not to mention, the phrase can be used in texts literally as well. It doesn’t seem to ‘cut the mustard’. “he tried to run the post office business under cleveland’s administration, but “couldn’t cut the mustard.”.
To have the ability to do something; What does cut the mustard expression mean? Probably from likening the pungency of the spice mustard as a superlative or as something that adds zest to a situation.;
The use of quotation marks indicates that the phrase was already a. According to “worldwide words”, the modern sense of. The origin of ‘cut the mustard’ the origin of this phrase is unclear.
Around the turn of the. A boomer phrase of undeterminable origin, it pretty much means you're wrong or bad. There have also been suggestions that it.
To come up to expectations”. To cut the mustard is american in origin and means to succeed or conform to the required standard, but is most often used in the negative form can’t cut the mustard meaning incompetence, failure or not able to compete, sometimes with a sexual connotation. When someone says “he/she didn’t cut the mustard”, they mean the person couldn’t accomplish what they were set out to or expected to achieve.
This term usually shows up in a negative sense, as in when something doesn't cut the mustard; The origins of the slang term “cut the mustard ” are shrouded in uncertainty, although there are a few creative theories. A small sample of these would include it being a variant of passing muster, cut having the meaning of “successfully engage in an endeavor” and mustard being slang for “something excellent,” a reference to mustard powder needing to be cut.
The first recorded use of the phrase is by o henry in 1907, in a story called the heart of the west: Wherever it came from, the oxford english dictionary credits the first known written use of ‘cut the mustard’ to a texan newspaper in 1891: The reason why mustard was chosen as an example is still unclear.
2 origin of cut the mustard. 1 cutting the mustard meaning. The phrase ‘can’t cut the mustard emerged in america at the end of the 1800s.
The phrase cut the mustard means to be good enough, but it is usually used with negative words such as doesn't, won't, isn't going to, etc., to say that something isn't good enough. To ‘cut the mustard’ first emerged in the usa toward the end of the 19th century and was used to convey if something reached a particular standard. ‘they applied several coats of carmine hue and cut the mustard over all their predecessors.’
This phrase originates from the old english craft of mustard making. And in early 20th century us english ‘the proper mustard’ meant the genuine article. Just had to say it.
The earliest printed example comes from an 1889 edition of the ottowa herald: “i looked around and found a proposition that exactly cut the mustard”. The chief mustard maker or mustardeer would make their mustard in large oaken barrels, allowing each barrel to mature for a number of months.
To cut the mustard phrase. Henry in 1907, in a story called the heart of the west: Henry, who wrote many stories near the beginning of the 20th century.
This one just doesn't cut the mustard. Lois, the first recorded use of the phrase is by o henry in 1907, in a story called the heart of the west: Definition of cut the mustard in the idioms dictionary.
In the newspaper, it goes thus; A hot dog with mustard. The expression dates from the late 19th/early 20th century and derives.
The origin of this expression is disputed. Definition of to cut the mustard in the idioms dictionary. There have been many attempts to relate this phrase to ‘passing muster’, where soldiers are approved on the parade ground or by their skill set, but alas, that explanation hasn’t really gained any credible acceptance.
The earliest appearance of this saying in print (that i could find) is from a writer named o. To cut muster would be a breach of discipline; Origin of cut the mustard he did not make the cut.
Perform satisfactorily, as in we need a better catcher; There have been a number of origin stories offered for cut the mustard. What does to cut the mustard expression mean?
A troop who has achieved excellent performance in, for example, a room inspection, is allowed to skip, or cut. The modern sense of the idiom is “to succeed; I looked around and found a proposition that exactly cut the mustard.