Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In printing: Any excess of paper which is cut off the main sheet.
  • noun That part of a printed sheet which is cut from the main sheet and separately folded. In the ordinary half-sheet form of 12mo, pages 5, 6, 7, and 8 are in the offcut of the half sheet of twelve pages.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun That which is cut off.
  • noun (Bookbinding) A portion of the printed sheet, in certain sizes of books, that is cut off before folding.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To cut off.
  • noun A piece that has been cut off of a larger piece when not needed; surplus.
  • adjective Cut off.
  • adjective Excess; surplus.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From off- +‎ cut.

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Examples

  • This sounds more like a Beach Boys offcut mind, but the lyrics are unimpeachable in their brown-nosing: "They were playing lovely tunes/by the light of the moon."

    Readers recommend: fantasy songs Paul MacInnes 2010

  • The flowers are passable, but also inexpensive, but the lace is like offcut afterthought thrown on the bodice, and probably about 5 bucks worth.

    Regretsy – I Don’t 2010

  • Yesterday afternoon I painted this – acrylic paints on an offcut of matt board.

    Painting session 2009

  • Yesterday afternoon I painted this – acrylic paints on an offcut of matt board.

    September Book Reviews 2009

  • The Bedroom In The Sky is three-quarters windowed and the last window blocked off with a hardboard offcut insulated, floored, plasterboarded, plumbed and wired.

    April 1st, 2007 2007

  • London, and Paris may be more reluctant these days to risk openly displaying legally dubious offcut statuary from

    Off With the Heads 1999

  • For one thing, it had a carpet - a good carpet, too, a thick-piled offcut.

    Strip Jack Rankin, Ian, 1960- 1992

  • It would have to go into a cold place to preserve its sharpness, but for good measure he had also purloined a discarded offcut of thin leather, and made a careful outline of the print, marking where heel and toe were worn down, and the diagonal crack across the ball of the foot.

    The Rose Rent Peters, Ellis, 1913-1995 1986

  • For last year's collaborative show between Fendi and the Gallery Fumi at the London Design Festival, Mersh created a wall display using slivers of offcut leather from Fendi accessories.

    Evening Standard - Home Hannah Bort 2011

  • There was also the breezy At the Indie Disco, Island Life, an enjoyable offcut from his musical, and the album title track about perversion in high places.

    Evening Standard - Home André Paine 2011

Comments

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  • "That part of a printed sheet which is cut from the main sheet and separately folded. In the ordinary half-sheet form of 12mo, pages 5, 6, 7, and 8 are in the offcut of the half sheet of twelve pages."

    --Cent. Dict.

    August 7, 2012