Where did the phrase work cut out for you?

The idiom to have one’s work cut out dates back to the 1600s, when to have all one’s work cut out meant that one was prepared to tackle a project. Later, the term came to mean that someone had assigned you an arduous task.

What does it mean when someone says you have your work cut out for you?

—used to say that the thing a person needs to do is very difficult, and he or she will have to work very hard to achieve it.

What is a synonym for work cut out?

synonyms for cut out for

• adequate.
• competent.
• equipped.
• fit.
• fitted.
• qualified.
• suitable.
• suited.

What is the meaning of the phrase cut out for?

: naturally able or suited to do or be (something) Why do you think that you’re cut out for this job?

What does it mean to have your work cut out for You?

To have your work cut out is to be faced with a lengthy or difficult task. The expression is often used in the extended form ‘have your work cut out for you’. Although we often now use the phrase to mean ‘be faced with a difficult task’, the original meaning (see below) was ‘be faced with a large amount of work’.

Do you have your work cut out for by the Free Dictionary?

To be faced with a difficult task. I knew I had my work cut out for me when I saw how messy the play room was. Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved. Fig. to have a large and difficult task prepared for one. They sure have their work cut out for them, and it’s going to be hard. There is a lot for Bob to do.

Where did the phrase have work cut out for come from?

This term, which alludes to a pattern cut from cloth that must then be made into a garment, has been used since about 1600. Anthony Trollope used it in Orley Farm (1862): “Everyone knew that his work was cut out for him.”. See also: cut, have, out, work.

Do you have your work cut out for fig?

Fig. to have a large and difficult task prepared for one. They sure have their work cut out for them, and it’s going to be hard. There is a lot for Bob to do. He has his work cut out for him.