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

Not quite even for hardcore devotees of his deep cuts, given his penchant for re-imagining and genre-bending his back catalogue during live performances. — Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 7 July 2026

This Year introduces readers to some deep cuts, including songs that were only played live or never recorded. — David Harris, SPIN, 6 July 2026

The owner, Quinton Anderson, spent years in Miami curating these deep cuts, making the music feel as intentional as the drinks and the service. — Blair Crosby, AJC.com, 5 July 2026

The jerseys were being bought by people who weren’t just soccer nerds or fans looking for deep cuts. — Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 28 June 2026

The police report said that a woman at the residence, who was suffering a deep cut on her wrist and multiple cuts to her hand, alleged to police Thorpe entered the residence and got upset with the unclean condition in the home, the outlets reported. — Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026

Segura was transported from the scene with deep cuts to his hands and arms and burns to his back. — Briauna Brown, CBS News, 25 June 2026

The set spans just 14 months — March 1979 to May 1980 — but Joy Division had a wide repertoire and never played the same set two nights in a row, paying no heed to what was on an album or single or the audience had ever heard before; many deep cuts were played regularly. — Jem Aswad, Variety, 25 June 2026

In 2009, at the peak of the Great Recession, Oceanside was forced to lay off 100 employees and make deep cuts in all its departments except police and fire, Sanchez said. — Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 June 2026

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