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

For hearing aids, these often-bulky devices can age a wearer faster than gray hair or referencing Jefferson Airplane deep cuts. —Christopher Null, Wired News, 11 Aug. 2025

The victim sustained a deep cut to his head during the beating. —Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2025

Nine Inch Nails kicked off the U.S. leg of their first tour since 2022 on Wednesday, Aug. 6, in Oakland, California, packing their setlist at Oakland Arena with a mix of hits and deep cuts that continue to define their legacy as one of the most important names in industrial rock. —Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 7 Aug. 2025

Robles sustained deep cuts to his arms and legs and lost a significant amount of blood, according to the GoFundMe. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Aug. 2025

Several are children as young as 9 months old, with deep cuts from machetes or bullet wounds. —Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 26 July 2025

To pay for part of the package, Republicans made deep cuts to Medicaid and low-income nutrition programs. —Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 14 July 2025

The covers album, scheduled to drop on Sept. 5, is set to feature both fan favorites and deep cuts from across Molina’s discography. —Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2025

Tom Cruise popped up at one of Oasis’ reunion gigs in London over the weekend, officially putting to rest any lingering rumors surrounding the incredibly low stakes and deep cut (certainly by Oasis’ standards) beef between the actor and band. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 28 July 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