{"id":6478,"date":"2022-08-28T18:15:03","date_gmt":"2022-08-28T18:15:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=6478"},"modified":"2022-08-28T18:15:03","modified_gmt":"2022-08-28T18:15:03","slug":"cutting-the-mustard-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/cutting-the-mustard-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Cutting the Mustard \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Did someone say that you don\u2019t <em>\u2018cut the mustard\u2019<\/em> and you\u2019re not the right choice for the job? What do they mean? Why are they comparing you to mustard? This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p>The expression <em>\u2018cutting the mustard\u2019<\/em> means to <strong><em>meet someone\u2019s expectations of your performance.<\/em><\/strong> The phrase can have negative and positive connotations. For instance, someone can cut the mustard, or they can fail at cutting the mustard.<\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know if that performance is cutting the mustard. I think you\u2019re okay, but you\u2019re lacking the pop we need from an actor in this role. Thanks for auditioning. We\u2019ll get back to you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s no way this performance cuts the mustard. I\u2019m sorry, but you don\u2019t have what it takes to get on this team. Come back and try out next year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou cut the mustard when it comes to your skillset. We\u2019re happy to offer you a contract. Welcome to the team.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no way we can bring that person on board. They don\u2019t cut the mustard regarding the character traits we\u2019re looking for in our people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6479\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Cutting-the-Mustard-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"233\" height=\"233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Cutting-the-Mustard-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Cutting-the-Mustard-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Cutting-the-Mustard-120x120.jpg 120w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Cutting-the-Mustard.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 233px) 100vw, 233px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-6480\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Cutting-the-Mustard1-300x233.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Cutting-the-Mustard1-300x233.jpg 300w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Cutting-the-Mustard1.jpg 355w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The expression 'cutting the mustard' originates from the late 1600s. The phrase refers to the association between the zesty behavior of enthusiastic people and the piquancy and heat of mustard.<\/p>\n<p>The first record of the expression in writing comes from 1672, where it appears in the format 'as keen as mustard.' The use of 'cutting' in the phrase means to 'exhibit' or 'cut a fine figure.' The first use of the modern version of the expression occurs towards the end of the 19th century in America.<\/p>\n<p>The Kansas newspaper, 'The Ottawa Herald,' published a piece in August 1889 with the phrase appearing as follows.<\/p>\n<p>\"He tried to run the post office business under Cleveland's administration but couldn't cut the mustard.\"<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Cut the Mustard - Idiom origin explained!\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/H_eqrYZrf9M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to Cutting the Mustard<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>That\u2019s acceptable.<\/li>\n<li>That\u2019s unacceptable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to Cutting the Mustard<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>N\/A.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Cutting the mustard.<\/li>\n<li>Cut the mustard.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say Cutting the Mustard Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>The phrase 'cutting the mustard' doesn't have anything to do with mustard or cutting anything. It's a way of describing a person's performance. Using the phrase to describe food or condiments is incorrect.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase Cutting the Mustard<\/h2>\n<p>You can use the phrase 'cutting the mustard' to describe a person's performance at a task or the extent of their reputation and skillset. The term suits social and professional use. It also has a positive and negative connotations. For instance, you could cut the mustard, meaning that you're content, or you could fail to cut the mustard, meaning you're incompetent.<\/p>\n<p>Use the expression at home to describe how your kid's attempt at washing your car doesn't cut the mustard. Use it at work to explain how a colleague's sales skills cut the mustard. It's a useful motivating phrase letting the other person know where they stand with you regarding their performance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Did someone say that you don\u2019t \u2018cut the mustard\u2019 and you\u2019re not the right choice for the job? What do they mean? Why are they comparing you to mustard? This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The expression \u2018cutting the mustard\u2019 means to meet someone\u2019s expectations of your performance. The phrase [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6478"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6478"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6478\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8202,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6478\/revisions\/8202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}