Cut corners is defined as
to do something in the easiest, cheapest or quickest way, often by ignoring rules or leaving something out especially at the expense of high standards.
What is the origin of this idiom?
etymology
Cut corners is defined as
to do something in the easiest, cheapest or quickest way, often by ignoring rules or leaving something out especially at the expense of high standards.
What is the origin of this idiom?
Best Answer
1869: OED
The OED has:
Their first quotation is 1869 (see ghoppe's answer).
1863: Longer shortcuts
An article entitled 'About "Going Straight On"' in The Oxford Magazine and Church Advocate (Vol. III., October 1863, No. 36, page 340) warns us of the pitfalls of cutting corners:
1852: Hunting
When hunting hare with greyhounds, both a good hound and a good rider will never cut a corner. Plenty of examples can be found in the 1850s and 1860s.
The earliest I found is from 1852 in Knightley William Horlock's Letters on the Management of Hounds, where this is the first of two uses on page 208:
Today: Hunting
It is still true today that good riders and good hounds seldom cut corners. The South Canterbury Hunt's Etiquette, Safety & Commonsense instructs riders:
And hounds that cut corners can be penalised in races. The Lower Mainland Whippet Association says of lure coursing:
A more detailed example of a three-hound race where two cut corners is given in Lure Coursing: What is it and How to Get Ready, Set And Tally-Ho!, and concludes:
I presume hounds are not meant to cut corners as they should follow the hare at a "respectful distance" to tire it out rather than catch it. And riders shouldn't cut corners so as to remain far back enough from the dogs so as not to distract them. Cutting corners results in a less than perfect hunt.