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Cut To Ribbons for Dummies

verb


What does Cut To Ribbons really mean?

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Teacher: Hey there! I heard you have a question about the phrase "cut to ribbons." I can definitely help you out with that. So imagine you have a piece of paper and you start tearing it into many, many small pieces until you can't tell it was once a whole piece of paper. Well, that's kind of what "cut to ribbons" means, but instead of paper, it's usually used to describe a situation or an object.

Student: Hmmm, I think I understand. But can you explain it a bit more?

Teacher: Absolutely! Sometimes, when we say something is "cut to ribbons," it means something has been torn apart or damaged so badly that it's almost unrecognizable. It's like taking a nice, big cake and slicing it into tiny pieces until it's all crumbled and barely resembles a cake anymore. In a similar way, "cut to ribbons" is used when something has been completely broken down, damaged, or destroyed.

Student: Oh, so it's like when my toy car got run over by the lawnmower and it broke into tiny pieces?

Teacher: Exactly! That's a great example. When your toy car was run over, it was "cut to ribbons" because it was completely broken into tiny, little pieces. Now, it's important to note that we don't usually use "cut to ribbons" to describe physical objects like toys or cakes. Instead, it's more commonly used to describe situations or even abstract things like someone's confidence or hopes.

Student: Oh, I think I get it now. But can you give me another example just to be sure?

Teacher: Of course! Let's say you're playing a basketball game, and your team loses by a huge margin. You can say your team was "cut to ribbons" because the other team played so well and completely dominated, making your team look very weak and powerless on the court. It's like your team's efforts were torn apart and destroyed by the other team's skill and performance.

Student: Oh, I see! It's like when my older sister beat me in a chess game in just a few moves, and I felt like my whole strategy had been shredded.

Teacher: Absolutely, that's a perfect example! When your sister beat you so quickly in chess, you felt like your whole plan was torn to shreds, or "cut to ribbons." It's a way of expressing that something has been completely dismantled, ruined, or overwhelmed.

Student: I think I finally understand! So when something is "cut to ribbons," it means it's been torn apart, damaged, or destroyed either physically or in an abstract sense.

Teacher: Exactly! You've got it! It's like taking something whole and tearing it into so many small pieces that it's no longer recognizable or functional. Great job on understanding this phrase! Remember, if you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask. Learning is all about asking questions!

Revised and Fact checked by Michael Johnson on 2023-10-28 09:33:18

Cut To Ribbons In a sentece

Learn how to use Cut To Ribbons inside a sentece

  • Sarah's paper was cut to ribbons when the dog got a hold of it and shredded it into tiny pieces.
  • The football team celebrated their victory by cutting the opposing team's defense to ribbons with their impressive passing game.
  • The chef skillfully cut the vegetables to ribbons and used them as garnish for the dish.
  • The cat got tangled in the curtains, managing to cut them to ribbons with its claws while trying to free itself.
  • The magician amazed the audience by cutting a newspaper into ribbons and then magically restoring it back to its original form.

Cut To Ribbons Hypernyms

Words that are more generic than the original word.