cutting didos
Acting up, clowning, or raising mischief.
Also called cut didos, cutting a dido, cut up didoes.
Updated September 21, 2026
cutting didos pronunciation
/KUT-in DYE-doze/
Meaning
When somebody is cutting didos, they are cutting capers: pranks, showing out, foolish noise. Southern and Appalachian folks aim it at kids bouncing off the walls or grown folks making a scene. Mama saying "Quit cutting didos" means settle down before somebody gets a switch.
How folks use it
- “Y'all quit cutting didos in the living room before you knock over Granny's lamp.”
- “Those boys were cutting didos behind the barn all Saturday afternoon.”
Origin and etymology
Dido has meant a prank or antic since the late 1700s. Cut didoes / cut up didoes shows in American slang by the 1800s, including an East Alabama word list (1908) glossed as cut capers or act smart. DARE keeps it with Southern and Appalachian talk. Link to Queen Dido of Carthage is a folk guess, not settled history.
Frequently asked questions
What is a dido?
A prank or bit of foolish carrying-on. Cutting didos means doing those antics.