Meaning & use
half-cut
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Meaning
adjectivenot comparableinformalBritish
Slightly drunk, but not completely drunk.
Grammar: Used after linking verbs like be, get, or seem; it does not come before a noun.
Patterns
- be half-cut
- get half-cut
After two glasses of wine, she was a bit half-cut.
He gets half-cut at every office party.
They were half-cut and singing loudly on the way home.
Common combinations
- a bit half-cut
- I'm a bit half-cut, so I'll take a taxi.
- get half-cut
- He got half-cut at the wedding.
- slightly half-cut
- She was slightly half-cut after lunch.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tipsy
- Tipsy is a more general and slightly gentler word for being mildly drunk; half-cut is more informal and British.
- merry
- Merry is an old-fashioned, polite way to say slightly drunk; half-cut is more modern and colloquial.
- buzzed
- Buzzed is American informal for a pleasant, slight drunkenness; half-cut is British and can sound a bit more negative.
Opposites
Commonly confused: half-cut or half-cut?
half-cut vs half-cut
Do not confuse with 'half cut' meaning cut into two equal pieces, as in 'a half-cut sandwich'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'half-cut' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 correctly uses 'half-cut' as an adjective after 'was' to mean slightly drunk. Option 1 uses 'half-cut' as a verb, which is not standard. Option 2 uses it to mean cut in half, which is a different meaning. Option 3 is not a natural use.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “half-cut”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.