there's a dialogue~~~

[joychow1985]

A: I'm supposed 2 be at the train station 20 minutes before departure time.

B: That's cutting it kind of close; it'll take at least that long 2 ge there.

how can i understand the underlined sentence?What does the "cut" mean?

thanks in advance~~~ ^ ^

[andy-hughes]

This is a metaphor - using an exprression to describe something else, and it is not meant literally.

To 'cut close' refers to a butcher cutting meat close to the bone - which is the ideal way to cut because the customer gets more meat for their money.

This use of the expression simply means that A is not leaving a lot of time to get the train, and will be arriving almost at departure time.

English is complex enough without the common use of metaphors which must confuse non-English people a great deal.

Please come back if you need any more phrases translated for you.

[joychow1985]

thank u sooooooo much 4 ur detailed explanation~~~andy-hughes~~~

can i understand it as "it's a little bit too precise" ?

and i feel so warm b'cos of ur last sentence~~~indeed i have lots of other questions~~~ ^ ^

[andy-hughes]

Thank you for your kind words, you are most welcome.

No, it is not 'too precise', the meaning of the metaphor is that A is not leaving enough time to get to the station in time to catch the train.

"Cutting it kind of close" means that the time A arrives will be too close to the time the train is due to leave, and A will be in danger of missing the train.

Hope I've explained myself better there.

[lepers]

not leaving enough spare time in case of mishaps