cut it off
Turn something off, especially lights, water, or power.
Also called cut off, cut the lights off.
Updated September 21, 2026
cut it off pronunciation
/KUT it AWF/
Meaning
Southern talk for flipping a switch or shutting a flow: cut the lights off, cut the water off, cut that radio off. You will also hear cut it on for the reverse. City mouths say turn off. Rural Southern and Appalachian mouths often cut things off instead, same job, different verb.
How folks use it
- “Cut it off before you leave the room. Power bill's high enough.”
- “Mama hollered for us to cut the lights off and come to supper.”
Origin and etymology
Regional American English for turn off, well mapped across the South from Texas to the Carolinas. Dialect surveys list cut off / cut it off among answers for putting out a light. Faulkner and other Southern writers put the phrasing in Mississippi mouths. Pair phrase cut on / cut off is a standard Southern American English note.
Frequently asked questions
Is cut it off the same as turn it off?
Yes. Same action. Cut is just the Southern verb for working the switch or valve.