Spam & Scams1 min ago
there's a dialogue~~~
A: I'm supposed 2 be at the train station 20 minutes before departure time.
B: That's cutting it kind of close; it'll take at least that long 2 ge there.
how can i understand the underlined sentence?What does the "cut" mean?
thanks in advance~~~ ^ ^
Answers
No best answer has yet been selected by joychow1985. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.This is a metaphor - using an exprression to describe something else, and it is not meant literally.
To 'cut close' refers to a butcher cutting meat close to the bone - which is the ideal way to cut because the customer gets more meat for their money.
This use of the expression simply means that A is not leaving a lot of time to get the train, and will be arriving almost at departure time.
English is complex enough without the common use of metaphors which must confuse non-English people a great deal.
Please come back if you need any more phrases translated for you.
Thank you for your kind words, you are most welcome.
No, it is not 'too precise', the meaning of the metaphor is that A is not leaving enough time to get to the station in time to catch the train.
"Cutting it kind of close" means that the time A arrives will be too close to the time the train is due to leave, and A will be in danger of missing the train.
Hope I've explained myself better there.