cut v Cp DARE ~ v 5 'to separate or remove (one or more animals from a herd' (1869-) for sense 1.
   1 1914 Deep Sea Fishers xii, 64 This year [steamers] went in [the Gulf] and 'cut them up,' as they call it.
   2 Phr cut tails; cut throats.
   1984 Evening Telegram 22 Dec, p. 6 My brother and I 'cut tails,' and cleaned our small catch. 1988 ELLIOTT [29] "To Gerry Squires": And in my youth I was a fisherman,/first, cutting tails, then shareman. 1987 Evening Telegram 7 Mar, p. 10 During my last summer at the Battery, when I was eleven years old, I had graduated to 'cutting throats' which...included slitting the fish from gills to vent. 1988 MOMATIUK & eASTCOTT (eds) 153 'How do you think Doris would work out cutting throats?' Mum said, 'Well, why don't you ask her?'
   3 Comb cut-throat(er).
   1988 Evening Telegram 18 May, p. 19 The colorful terms cut-throater, header and splitter were the names applied to people who carried out the first three steps in the processing of fish. 1989 Nfld Qtly lxxxiv (1), 42 "The Mug-Up": There were wild beards of oakum, and cork floats/That made perfect hand-guards for cut-throats.

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