Phrase guide

cut of one's jib

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˌkʌt‿əv wʌnz ˈd͡ʒɪb/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪb

1

noun

Meaning 1

A person's general appearance, manner, or style.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated, idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From cut (“a way of shaping or styling”) and jib (“a triangular staysail set forward of the foremast”), originally a nautical expression alluding to the identification of far-off sailing vessels by the shape of their sails. The idiomatic sense may have been influenced by the similarity of a triangular jib sail to a person’s nose.

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: tyyli — person’s general appearance, manner, or style
  • Macedonian: стил (stil) — person’s general appearance, manner, or style