Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

under the knife

/ˌʌndəɹ ðə ˈnaɪf/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.39 in modern English

Syllables: un-der the knife
IPA: /ˌʌndəɹ ðə ˈnaɪf/

24

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

2

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

Chiefly preceded by a form of go: undergoing a surgical procedure; into surgery.

Informal

Example Sentences

"Rumor that De Gaulle [i.e., Charles de Gaulle] was under the knife sped through Paris and the world the next morning. The staff at the Elysee Palace, De Gaulle's official residence, refused for hours either to confirm or deny the story; […] Finally, at 7:15 p.m., a bulletin signed by three doctors said that De Gaulle had been operated on that morning for "a disease of the prostate"— […]"
""I don't want to go under the knife again. I had 10 surgeries as a player and many more since," [Lenny] Dykstra said, speaking as though he still had his trademark wad of tobacco in his mouth."

Etymology

A reference to the situation of a patient lying on an operating table while a surgeon stands over them and operates using a surgical cutting tool (typically a scalpel).

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌʌndəɹ ðə ˈnaɪf/
British English: /ˌʌndə ðə ˈnaɪf/

Usage

Informal

Rhymes With

life high on life wife bag for life knife dutch wife new lease on life trophy wife oyster knife strife fife rife

Questions

How do you pronounce under the knife?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌʌndəɹ ðə ˈnaɪf/.
What does under the knife mean?: Chiefly preceded by a form of go: undergoing a surgical procedure; into surgery.
Where does under the knife come from?: A reference to the situation of a patient lying on an operating table while a surgeon stands over them and operates using a surgical cutting tool (typically a scalpel).

How to pronounce under the knife

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “under the knife”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌʌndəɹ ðə ˈnaɪf/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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