deep cut

noun

plural deep cuts

1

music : a song that is considerably less popular and well-known than other songs on the same album or by the same artist

From there, the band careened through highlights and the occasional deep cut from its catalog …

—Mikael Wood

But the rocker saw an opportunity to turn casual fans on to his deep cuts—so each disc intersperses hits with lesser-known album tracks in non-chronological order.

—David Browne

2

: something (such as an obscure reference to a book or movie) that is recognizable to devotees but not usually to others

One of the fun things about being a Marvel fan is the franchise's ability to constantly surprise its audience with comic book deep cuts, surprising castings, and twists that no one sees coming.

—Alexis Nedd

deep-cut adjective

a deep-cut reference/joke

Examples of deep cut in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To help pay for it, Republican fiscal hawks want deep cuts to Medicaid, but moderate Republicans oppose the move. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 1 July 2025

Nationwide, between 12 million and 20 million people could lose Medicaid coverage under deep cuts to the health insurance program proposed by Senate Republicans, according to two estimates. —Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 1 July 2025

Jeremy Allen White recently went deep in his DVD bag and pulled out a deep cut. —Angel Diaz, Billboard, 25 June 2025

For the skin, don’t apply it on acne-prone skin or to deep cuts or fresh burns. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 21 June 2025

Cobra Kai's sixth and final season features callbacks that range from iconic Karate Kid moments that have permeated pop culture to deep cuts for the superfans. —EW.com, 16 June 2025

But Trump and virtually all Congressional Republicans strongly support the bill’s central elements--very large tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, paid for by deep cuts in essential programs while adding trillions to the deficit. —Richard McGahey, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025

Like National Weather Service offices across the country, the Quad Cities office is dealing with deep cuts after the Trump administration laid off probationary workers. —Evan Bush, NBC news, 6 June 2025

Those companies — Tesla, the satellite company SpaceX, the social media platform X and the brain tech startup Neuralink — have faced growing criticism as Musk oversaw deep cuts to the federal workforce. —Steve Kopack, NBC news, 5 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1993, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for deep cut

• abut
• catgut
• chesnut
• chestnut
• donut
• doughnut
• groundnut
• haircut
• hindgut
• midgut
• precut
• rebut