Meaning & use
work cut out
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiom
to have a very difficult job to do, especially because there is a lot to handle or success is unlikely.
Grammar: Used in the pattern have your work cut out (for you); the possessive changes with the subject: I had my work cut out.
Patterns
- have your work cut out
- have your work cut out for you
- have your work cut out to do something
With three exams next week, I have my work cut out.
The new coach has her work cut out for her this season.
They had their work cut out to finish the project on time.
Common combinations
- have your work cut out for you
- You'll have your work cut out for you in that advanced class.
- have your work cut out to do something
- We had our work cut out to beat the champions.
- really have your work cut out
- She really has her work cut out with such a tight deadline.
Synonyms and how they differ
- have a tough job
- A more direct way to say the same thing, but it is less idiomatic.
- have a lot on your plate
- This means you have many things to deal with, not necessarily one very hard task.
- face an uphill struggle
- This emphasizes a difficult fight or effort, often over a long period.
Commonly confused: work cut out or cut out for?
work cut out vs cut out for
'Be cut out for something' means to be naturally suited to it: He's not cut out for teaching. It is different from having your work cut out.
Practice
With only two days left, the team ______ its work cut out to finish the project.
Choose one answer.
The subject 'team' is treated as singular here, so 'has' is correct. 'Have' would agree with a plural subject, 'is having' is not used in this fixed expression, and 'had' would be past, which does not match the present-time 'With only two days left'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “work cut out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.