cut a figure

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English

Pronunciation

  • (file)

Verb

cut a figure (third-person singular simple present cuts a figure, present participle cutting a figure, simple past and past participle cut a figure)

  1. (idiomatic) To present an image; to make an impression.
    • 1913, Jeffery Farnol, chapter 57, in The Amateur Gentleman:
      Your desire was to cut a figure in the Fashionable World. Well, to-day you have your wish—to-day you are famous.
    • 1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, “chapter 27”, in The Moon and Sixpence, : Grosset & Dunlap Publishers , →OCLC:
      Dirk Stroeve cut such an absurd figure that I felt inclined to laugh.
    • 1950, The Crisis, page 647:
      As a leader of the free world the United States cuts an unconvincing figure with its racial segregation.
    • 2010 September 9, Karl Vick, “Israel's Military on the Spot Over Activist's Death”, in Time:
      Composed and genial, the Corries cut an impressive figure in the sun-drenched Haifa courthouse.
    • 2024 April 24, Helene Cooper, “NATO Puts on a Show of Force in the Shadow of Russia’s War”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
      Standing in a field at an army barracks in Poznan, Poland, and wearing the black Stetson that is customary for the 2nd Cavalry, Colonel McChrystal cut a figure both commanding and incongruous.

Usage notes

  • Often used with an adjective that modifies figure.