What does "too cute by half" mean?

Answer 1

Good question. Hehe.

In a positive sense, it probably means that whatever it is describing would be termed "cute" even if it were only half as cute as it actually is. Therefore, it is "cute +."

In a negative sense, I suppose it could mean that whatever it is describing is too "cutesy," and would be acceptable if it were half as cute. (But it's probably not meant in a negative sense.)

Answer 2

I searched online and found the following.

The closest equivalent is "too cute by far"
but the implication means cute 1.5 times,
or by 50% more.

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http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/32/messages/60.html

"By half" is an idiom defined as "by a great deal; much, considerably, far" (Oxford English Dict.).

Example from the year 1400, approx.: "Thowe arte to hye by [the] halfe, I hete [the] in trouthe!" ("Morte Arthure"). I think this translates as "Thou art too high [proud? ambitious?] by the half, I promise thee in truth."

Example from 1777: "Pshaw! he is too moral by half" (Sheridan, "School for Scandal").

The dictionary doesn't say whether "by half" implies an exact fraction, but the phrase suggests to me "So-and-so is 50% more clever than he should be."

http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/32/messages/60.html

Answer 3

It means the person who is the object of the statement is not as cute as they think they are.