Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cut the mustard

/kʌt ðə ˈmʌstəɹd/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.68 in modern English

Syllables: cut the mus-tard
IPA: /kʌt ðə ˈmʌstəɹd/

21

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

2

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To achieve the expected standard; to be effective or good enough; to suffice.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"Give me the bigger hammer. This little one just doesn’t cut the mustard."
"By nature and doctrines I am addicted to the habit of discovering choice places wherein to feed. So I looked around and found a proposition that exactly cut the mustard. I found a restaurant tent just opened up by an outfit that had drifted in on the tail of the boom."
"[I]f a man gets a loan and over a period of years he has demonstrated that he cannot cut the mustard, how is he going to demonstrate it in a period of 12 months?"

Etymology

From cut (“to exhibit (a quality)”) + the + mustard (“(originally US slang) something adding spice or zest to a situation; something setting the standard”).

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /kʌt ðə ˈmʌstəɹd/
British English: /kʌt ðə ˈmʌstəd/

Usage

Intransitive verb

Inflected Forms

cuts the mustard (present, singular) cutting the mustard (participle, present)

Synonyms

be up to par be up to scratch be up to snuff cut it hack it make the cut make the grade measure up pass muster

Rhymes With

busted disgusted

Questions

How do you pronounce cut the mustard?: The recorded pronunciation is /kʌt ðə ˈmʌstəɹd/.
What does cut the mustard mean?: To achieve the expected standard; to be effective or good enough; to suffice.
Where does cut the mustard come from?: From cut (“to exhibit (a quality)”) + the + mustard (“(originally US slang) something adding spice or zest to a situation; something setting the standard”).

How to pronounce cut the mustard

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “cut the mustard”.
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