But just what was it that was "cut and dried"?
2007-09-25 13:37:44 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
its an English idiom.
an idiom is a phrase whose meaning is apparently unconnected with the individual words that make it up, such as come a cropper "suffer misfortune", or more generally a phrase whose meaning is not apparent from said individual words.
2007-09-25 13:41:39 · answer #1 · answered by ξήĢŁĭŞĦ ŗǾşξ ©® ღஐღ 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The origins of the phrase "cut and dried" seem to be far from settled. One popular contender for the origin of the phrase comes to us from the world of lumber. Timber, it seems, only becomes lumber when it is cut to standard sizes (such as "two-by-four") and dried, either in open air or in a kiln. Thus, cut and dried lumber, the theory goes, eventually came to be used as a metaphor for anything which is predictable, reliable, and not very exciting.
Another theory also traces the phrase to a woody origin, but this time to firewood. One of the few things I learned before being booted out of the Cub Scouts many years ago is that campfires work best if the wood is, you guessed it, cut and dried before starting the fire.
Still other theories trace the phrase to tobacco (which must be cut and dried to be used), and to the practice of preserving various forms of meat by cutting and drying.
2007-09-27 10:08:05 · answer #2 · answered by AEdlM 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't know for sure but always assumed "cut and dried" originally referred to a harvest...when all the crops are in, the job is done they are safe inside, they are....cut and dried.
2007-09-25 22:01:21 · answer #3 · answered by Danny B 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
While I type this they are cutting hay in the field next door (beautiful day for it too).I've a feeling it stems from cutting and drying the hay and once it's saved everything is sorted.Nice coincidence.
2007-09-27 09:31:14 · answer #4 · answered by Misty Blue 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
cut and dried (of a situation) completely settled. originally used to distinguish the dried herbs of herbalists’ shops from fresh picked or growing herbs.
2007-09-26 19:45:42 · answer #5 · answered by willowGSD 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It was tobacco. The leaves are finished after being cut and dried.
2007-09-25 20:47:21 · answer #6 · answered by Rich Z 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It goes back to the ancient practice of cutting wood and letting it dry out thoroughly before using it in a fire." From "Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins" by William and Mary Morris (HarperCollins, New York, 1977, 1988).
2007-09-25 20:46:36 · answer #7 · answered by istitch2 6 · 6⤊ 1⤋
I AM SURE IT WAS LAYING OUT TOBACCO LEAVES THE HAVE TO BE CUT AND DRIED
2007-09-26 16:54:32 · answer #8 · answered by kjcf63 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Hay. It's a saying that originates in farming.
2007-09-26 16:05:58 · answer #9 · answered by Beastie 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The banana slices in alpen.
2007-09-27 10:36:52 · answer #10 · answered by MuffDvr 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋