Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (UK Und.) to speak, to talk; in cit. 1820 cutting refers to well spoken.

c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 84: to cutte, to saye.
1608		Dekker Belman of London (3rd) J4: I cut, it is quire bowse.
1610		Rowlands Martin Mark-all 43: When we haue tipt the loure & fenc’t away the duds / Then binge we to the bowsing ken / Thats cut the Robin Hood.
a.1674		‘Beggar’s Curse’ Head Canting Academy (1674) 14: He cuts bing to the Ruffmans.
1688		R. Holme Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68c: Canting Terms used by Beggars, Vagabonds, Cheaters, Cripples and Bedlams. [...] To Cut, to speak.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew.
1725		New Canting Dict. n.p.: To Cut, also signifies to speak.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. 1725].
c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: To Cut, to Speak. Cant.
c.1820		The Sapient Pig 22: The favourite of Drury they reckon so Kean, He’s so cutting at times they weep with both e’en.
1841		W.J. Neale Paul Periwinkle 168: Don’t cut your low jibes on me, you pettifogging, six-and-eightpenny tapeworm.
1853		Dickens Bleak House (1991) 127: ‘I should like to ask you anything, without offence’ [...] ‘Cut away, then!’.

2. (W.I.) to speak a language; esp. as cut...good.

1916		J.G. Cruickshank Black Talk 26: Dem people, sah! Dem a cut Kongo (talk the Kongo language) fo’ true.
1942		L. Bennett ‘Some A Dem’ in Jam. Dialect Poems 11: Yuh ever hear some cut bad talk. [Ibid.] 120: Yuh want hear har cut Spanish.

3. to tease.

1954

‘Hepster’s Dict.’ Mad mag. June 20: cut – make fun of .

4. (US black) to put someone in their place by a verbal attack, to reprimand, to scold.

1968		‘Hy Lit’ Hy Lit’s Unbelievable Dict. of Hip Words 10: cut – Out-rank; put someone in his place.
1969		Commonweal 91 102: On New York streets ‘cutting,’ ‘ranking’ (also known as ‘low-ranking’), ‘woofing’ and ‘sounding’ are different names for a less sexual version of the Dozens and first-cousins to the game of ‘signifying’.
1972		R. Kahn Boys of Summer 325: Ben Chapman had been cutting Jack strong. [...] Jack [...] said, ‘Look, Chapman, you son of a bitch. You [...] open your mouth to me one more time during this game, I’m gonna [...] kick the shit out of you.’ .
1980		E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 94: To put some jive-ass sucker in his place. [...] Cuttin’ ’im front a whole lotta people. Sucker keep his mouth shut then.
2006		G. Pelecanos Night Gardener 9: He knew it [i.e. a reprimand] was meant to cut him, and he was meant to take it.