What are the Meanings of the Phrase ‘Cut and Dried’?

And where did it come from?

Cut and dried means something decided or predetermined or ready-made and not changeable.

This expression comes from herbalists’ language: cut and dried herbs were those that were prepared in advance and thus, ready for use.

Once they were cut and dried, you couldn’t change them or alter them to your own liking. Therefore, they began to be associated with something certain or decided.

Commonly, the hyphenated phrase cut-and-dried is used as an adjective denoting the abovementioned qualities.

For example —

“My job is boring. I don’t get to think at all. Everything is cut-and-dried.”

It means that everything is pre-decided or settled. You have to follow simple and direct instructions in my job. You can’t change anything.

I hope you found this story interesting. If you did, buy my full course on Udemy or watch it for free on Skillshare by signing up here. This course covers nearly 380 idioms with their origins and backstories.

Hi, I am Gauri Shanker, a Vocab teacher and enthusiast. I teach vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. You can check out my courses here.