Explore the origins, meanings, and cultural significance of the phrase 'cut to the quick,' a cliché denoting deep emotional hurt. Learn about its etymology, semantic nuances, and contemporary relevance.
To be “cut to the quick” is to experience profound emotional pain or to have one’s feelings deeply wounded. The phrase metaphorically suggests an injury to the most sensitive and vital part of one’s being.
The term “quick” in this context derives from the Old English cwic, meaning “alive” or “living.” Historically, “quick” referred to the most vital and sensitive parts of the body, particularly the tender flesh beneath the fingernails. The expression “touched to the quick” has been in use since the sixteenth century, appearing in John Heywood’s Proverbs and in several works by William Shakespeare, including Hamlet and The Comedy of Errors. The variant “stung to the quick” is found in Henry Fielding’s Joseph Andrews (1742). The specific wording “cut to the quick” emerged later and became a cliché around 1850.
The phrase “cut to the quick” carries connotations of vulnerability and sensitivity. It suggests an emotional injury that reaches the core of one’s being, evoking a sense of rawness and exposure. The phrase is often employed to describe situations where one’s dignity, pride, or deeply held beliefs are affronted.
In contemporary culture, “cut to the quick” is frequently used in literature, film, and everyday discourse to describe moments of intense emotional hurt. It conveys a sense of being wounded in a way that is both personal and profound. The phrase is versatile, applicable in various contexts, from personal relationships to public criticisms.
In professional settings, “cut to the quick” might describe the impact of harsh feedback or criticism. In literary contexts, it often illustrates a character’s emotional turmoil. Historically, the phrase has been used to depict moments of intense personal conflict or revelation.
The phrase “cut to the quick” remains relevant in contemporary language due to its vivid imagery and emotional resonance. Its ability to succinctly convey deep emotional pain ensures its continued use in both formal and informal contexts. Durability rating: ★★★★☆
“O, that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fix’d His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter! O God! God! How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable, Seem to me all the uses of this world! Fie on’t! ah fie! ’tis an unweeded garden, That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature Possess it merely. That it should come to this! But two months dead: nay, not so much, not two: So excellent a king; that was, to this, Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother, That he might not beteem the winds of heaven Visit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth! Must I remember? why, she would hang on him, As if increase of appetite had grown By what it fed on: and yet, within a month— Let me not think on’t—Frailty, thy name is woman!— A little month, or ere those shoes were old With which she follow’d my poor father’s body, Like Niobe, all tears:—why she, even she— O God! a beast, that wants discourse of reason, Would have mourn’d longer—married with my uncle, My father’s brother; but no more like my father Than I to Hercules: within a month: Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears Had left the flushing in her galled eyes, She married. O, most wicked speed, to post With such dexterity to incestuous sheets! It is not nor it cannot come to good: But break, my heart; for I must hold my tongue.” - William Shakespeare, Hamlet