cut to the quick

: to penetrate with or as if with an edged instrument

: to hurt the feelings of

: to strike sharply with a cutting effect

: a product of cutting: such as

: an opening made with an edged instrument

: a wound made by something sharp : gash

: marked by a well-developed and highly defined musculature

: not dead : living, alive

: acting or capable of acting with speed: such as

: fast in understanding, thinking, or learning : mentally agile

: living beings

: a painfully sensitive spot or area of flesh (such as that underlying a fingernail or toenail)

: the inmost sensibilities

: in a quick manner