| just couldn't stand the pressure ony more, break down and cry As the funeral ser- vice began, Paolo broke down and cried. break down in tears All the worry and anxiety had been too much for her, and she suddenly broke down in tears. CUT ™ see also SHARP/NOT SHARP, PIECE, HURT/INJURE with scissors or a knife cut kav [v I/T] to divide something into two or more pieces. using a knife or scis- sors: You'll need a good pair of scissors to cut that fabric. | The woman had murdered her husband and cut his body up. | This knife doesn’t cut very well cut sth in two/cut sth in half Mandy cut the paper in half and gave a piece to each child. cut sth up/eut up sth (=into several pieces) Tommy sat on the floor, cutting up old magazines. cut sth open Rescue workers had to use special equipment to cut the steel door open cutting - cut ~ have cut slit slit; {v T] to make a long narrow cut through something. especially skin or cloth: He killed the sheep by slitting its throat. slit sth open Diane slit the envelope open with a knife. slitting ~ slit ~ have slit slash /sleJ/{v T] to cut something quickly and violently with a knife, because you want to damage it or cause injury Vandals got in and slashed the paint ing.| Maria was slashed across the face with a razor to cut food cut kat) [v T] to cul food: Look! The bride ‘and groom are going to cut the cake cut sth into pieces/chunks I'm going to cut the meat into four pieces. cutting ~ cut ~ have cut 169 chop/chop up jjop. {Yop ‘aphtfa:p-| [v T] to ‘cut something such as vegetables or meat into small pieces when you are preparing a meal: Chop two onions for the stew. | Do you want me to chop up the vegetables? chop sth into pieces/chunks/cubes Chop the eggplant into cubes. chopped [adj only before noun) Sprinkle some chopped walnuts on the salad. chopping ~ chopped slice jslas} [v T] to cut food such as bread, meat, or vegetables into thin flat pieces: My A grandmother sliced the carrots and put them in saucepan of water sliced [adj only before noun) sliced white bread have chopped slice carve (ka:'y/ v T] to cut ‘a large piece of cooked meat into _ pieces: Who's going to carve the turkey? : mince samsi grind Se AMERICAN (mins, graind} {v T] to cut raw meat into very small pieces using a machine: Will you ask the but- cher to mince the lamb very finely? minced/ground [adj only before noun] minced meat | ground beef grinding ~ ground ~ have ground grate (greit) [v T] to cut cheese or vegetables into very small thin pieces by rubbing them against a metal surface with holes in it: Grate some cheese over the potatoes before serving, grated [adj] grated orange peel to cut part of your body = see also HURT/INJURE cut ‘kati [v T] to accidentally injure part of your body, so that it bleeds: Be careful not to cut your finger on that can.cuT cut yourself Phil cut himself shaving this morning. cut [n C] a wound on your skin where it has been cut: Several passengers were treated for cuts and bruises cutting ~ cut ~ have cut scratch skrai{[v T] to cut part of your body very slightly, and not at all deeply: The cat scratched me while I was playing with her. | I got scratched by the bushes trying to find that ball. seratch {n C] a slight cut that is not at all deep: Don't cry, it's only a scratch. graze {greiz| [v T] to accidentally injure yourself by rubbing your skin against something hard and rough: Tommy fell and grazed his knee in the yard. graze [n Ca slight wound on your skin where it has been rubbed against some- thing hard and rough: Cuts and grazes should be covered to keep out germs. to cut someone's hair, beard, or fingernails ™ see also wan cut jkat/ |v T] My sister usually cuts my hair | T wish you wouldn't cut your toe nails in the living-room have/get your hair cut (=pay someone to cut it for you) Beth’s at the hairdresser's having her hair cut cut [n singuler] Your hair's too long. It needs a cut. cutting ~ cut ~ have cat trim ‘trim; |v T] to cut a small amount off someone's hair or beard, so that it looks tidier: Could you just trim my hair at the back? trim [n singular] Give my hair a trim, will you? trimming - trimmed = have trimmed shave /[evv; |v |/T] to cut the hair on your face or body, using a special blade, so that your skin feels smooth: Have you shaved today? | I didn’t have time to shave my legs. shave off sth/shave sth off I wish you'd shave off that awful beard! shave [n singular] He went upstairs and had a quick shave. 170 to cut wood, plants, or grass cut down/chop down. jkat ‘dan tfop ‘daun|.a:p- [phrasal verb T] to make trees or bushes fall down by cutting them cut/chop down sth Cutting down the rainforests has created serious ecolo gical problems, cut/chop sth down The old apple tree was dangerous so we had to chop it down A\ vont use ‘cut’ on its own about trees Don't say ‘he cut the tree’. Say he cut the [tree down Lite Cowme chop vopltfap) [v T] to cut wood into pieces using an axe (=a tool with a long handle and a sharp blade): We soon got warm, chopping wood. chop sth up/chop up sth (=into several pieces) ! chopped the old fence up for firewood, chopping cut /kat'[v T] to cut grass or cut off leaves, in order to make a place or plant look tidy: She had to stand on a ladder to cut the top of the hedge. cutting — cut ~ have cut mow ‘mo |v T] to cut grass using a spe- cial machine, in order to make it iook tidy mow the lawnithe grass It took me two hours to mow the lawn saw sx {v T] to cut wood using a sharp tool that you push backwards and for- wards across the surface of the wood: Jane was in the basement, sawing wood. saw sth up/saw up sth (=into several pieces) We had to saw it up to get it through the door. to cut something from something else cut off (kat ‘off-'xf) (phrasal verb T] to cut part of something away from the rest of it cut off sth Van Gogh cut off his ear. cut sth off Remove the cake from the oven and cut any burnt edges off chop off {Wop ‘ofl.t{ap ‘xf) [phrasal verb TTeood ‘something off by hitting it hard or cutting it with a sharp tool chopped have chopped