Whiteisms
The Archive

Etymology Journal ยท C

Cutting up

Meaning

To act silly, laugh, or play pranks. It is often used to describe people, usually younger folks, having a loud, good time.

Lighthearted, indulgent

Used in a sentence

  • The kids were in the back seat cutting up the whole ride home.
  • Stop cutting up and pay attention to the teacher.
  • We were just cutting up and having a few laughs before the meeting started.

The backstory

This likely derives from the idea of 'cutting' a caper or 'cutting' loose from normal social constraints. It became a common way to describe boisterous behavior in the mid-20th century.

Heard in

The South / Midwest

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