Cut corners

“We could finish this project early, only if we cut corners.” Is a pretty simple way of expressing
the concept of using a shortcut so as not to apply too much effort. The meaning can be clearly
seen from the context of this sentence where cut corners is used as: to do something in the
easiest or shortest way, by avoiding some expenses or extra work. Other cases can be found
where cut corners means “to disregard rules.” For example, a search of the Google Books
database shows results where the phrase refers to do something as easily or cheaply as
possible, usually to the detriment of the finished product or end result (Farlex 2015).

“Cut corners” is used in formal, informal, spoken, written, in British, American, and other local
varieties of English. The origin of this idiom is Mid-19th century, British and American English –
Most of the early citations for this expression have to do with hunting and what paths dogs take
to follow the prey (R. Berg 2006). According to dictionary.com, the origin of “Cut” is middle
English and old English 1175-1225, and the “Corner” – Middle English, 1250 – 1300s. However,
the very first citation comes from American writer, Mark Twain, who used it in referring to how
a gondolier was steering his gondola. Eventually, its metaphoric use evolved to more common
usage. There are two interesting counter speculations. One is that the phrase is derived from
the 16th century originating cater-corner, meaning “diagonally across the street at an
intersection.” Later, it evolved into catty-corner, then kitty-corner, then cut corner. The other
theory is that the expression comes from the early roofing and tile trade where a roofing tile’s
corners had to be cut, in order, to fit it on a roof. But this meaning has no sense of saving time
or money (Andyman 1943).

According to R. Berg, at one point it was a metaphor from driving - not necessarily motor
driving, because it also applies to horse-drawn carriages. When you come to a sharp turn in the
road, instead of going all the way to the corner and then turning, you can go diagonally across,
and "cut the corner off." This saves time, but entails a risk of clipping the curb and overturning,
or being involved in a pile-up with another vehicle. Thus, "to cut corners" has acquired the
meaning of discarding normal safe practices in order to get to the desired results quickly. Mark
Twain’s aforementioned example, therefore, has a similar meaning.

The OED gives that definition for "cut off a corner" in the literal sense without (at least in the
1st ed.) extending it to a figurative one. At one point, all uses we could find had to do with
driving, traveling. Since then, the phrase has taken on other meaning that still have to do with
finding the easiest solution, but not necessarily when it comes to driving. Nowadays it applies
to many other things done this way. One example is economics. In the U.S., cutting corners
means discarding high standards for economic measures, such as using cheap materials in a
product or not holding products to industry standards.

The Google Books database shows a dramatic increase in the use of the phrase Cut corners over
time. There are a few references in the mid-20th century, but then it increases significantly
beginning in the 1960s and continuing until today.
The usage frequency percentage of this phrase on the database of Google Books shows that
first, in 1824, it comprised of 539*10-10 % and later in 2000s it comprised of 140062*10-10 % of
all words used in the English language.

The phrase “cut corners” has seen much popularity in use during the modern era. It comes from
a metaphoric phrase that once meant to cross diagonally or not to take the full turn when
driving a car or horse drawn carriage. Its meaning evolved to a more generalized concept.
Today, to cut corners means to do a task in the cheapest and easiest possible way, but it does
not only apply to driving or riding. Per the Google Books database, cut corners enjoys a higher
usage frequency than ever.

References:

Saturnino M. Borras Jr. (2010). Critical Perspectives in Rural Development Studies

https://books.google.com/books?id=effaAAAAQBAJ

Definition of “cut corners”

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/cut-corners

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/turn--the--corner?s=t

https://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/48/messages/316.html

http://rollsoffthetongue.tumblr.com/post/150188239300/cut-corners-origin-mid-19th-century-
british-and

Figure 1. The usage frequency of phrase “cut corners” in Google Books database, by year.
Note that, examples for earliest references for “cut corners” don’t occur, though it was first
used in 1824s.