To reduce costs, effort, or time by doing something in the cheapest or easiest way, often compromising quality or safety.
This phrase dates back to the 1800s and originally referred to literally cutting across the corner of a street or path to save time and distance. By the early 1900s, it had evolved into a metaphor for any shortcut that saves resources but potentially sacrifices quality or proper procedure.
The visual origin is delightfully literal - imagine someone walking down a street and cutting diagonally across a corner lot instead of following the sidewalk's right angles. This simple act of spatial efficiency became a powerful metaphor for the eternal tension between speed and thoroughness in human endeavors.
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