how to cut somebody

We've discussed the rules of conversation but how do you avoid, or even subtly insult, somebody you don't even wish to have a conversation with? Then you need to know what it means to "cut" somebody, and how. This definition is from the wonderfully-titled 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue:

To renounce acquaintance with any one is to cut him. There are several species of the cut. Such as the cut direct, the cut indirect, the cut sublime, the cut infernal, &c. The cut direct, is to start across the street, at the approach of the obnoxious person in order to avoid him. The cut indirect, is to look another way, and pass without appearing to observe him. The cut sublime, is to admire the top of King’s College Chapel, or the beauty of the passing clouds, till he is out of sight. The cut infernal, is to analyze the arrangement of your shoe-strings, for the same purpose.

I expect Peter Mandelson is very skilled at this.

Via FromOldBooks.

Comments

[Scott]

The cut sublime has aged the worst. Wouldn't one just appear a simpleton? Who looks at clouds in the middle of the street nowadays?

The cut infernal has survived - presuming that "one's shoelaces" becomes "one's phone".