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

Fans of the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers — who have sold more than 20 million albums and notched more than 40 international gold and platinum discs — can expect to hear a mix of old and new, smashes and deep cuts, when Cheap Trick visits Bridges Auditorium in Claremont on April 21. —Marc Ballon, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026

San Diego City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, chair of the MTS board, said the agency would have to make painfully deep cuts to service without a fare hike. —David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026

As with every other Mayhem Ball show, Gaga ended the night dancing down the runway to one of her throwback deep cuts. —Jeff Nelson, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026

Lawmakers have repeatedly rejected deep cuts to NASA science, signaling strong support for maintaining a balanced portfolio that includes both exploration and research. —Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 6 Apr. 2026

Members of the budget committee shares the concerns that next year’s budget will mean another round of deep cuts. —Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026

That includes deep cuts to the National Institutes of Health, the elimination of a health research agency, and the creation of a new agency devoted to chronic diseases called the Administration for a Healthy America. —Chelsea Cirruzzo, STAT, 3 Apr. 2026

The Spring Sale is also delivering a deep cut on the excellent MacBook Air M4. —K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 31 Mar. 2026

Anticipating deep cuts to funding for student stipends and training, institutions were forced to reduce or even cancel graduate student admissions for the year. —Nara Parameswaran, The Conversation, 30 Mar. 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