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There is a expression "cut in line" and it seems there is no expression "cut in the line".

According to a dictionary the word "line" is not uncountable. Why the phrase doesn't have the article?

ironsand
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  • You can also say cut in a line and cut in the line, but cut in line is far more common. – Khan Mar 23 '17 at 02:50
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    "cut in line" is an expression rather than a sentence fragment. That's how it is commonly used. Just "cut in" is also common. – fixer1234 Mar 23 '17 at 04:47

1 Answers1

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I tried ngram comparison with to skip instead of to cut, because the context for to cut might be other types of lines, e.g. the wire.

to skip line and to skip the line are equally prominent, whereas in and in the don't seem to be used in this context in books. So to cut the line couldn't be wrong, by analogy.

Compare this question with go home' (which is a recurring question).

Between cut and skip there might be a difference, because 'to have cut line' doesn't quite roll of the tongue as well, although, cutting line with or without additional particles would, so I suppose it might stem from a confusion of *to be cuttin' ' (the) line and to cut into (or the generally less prominent to cut in).

Ultimately, I don't think there is a correct answer, as far as grammar is concerned. According to google ngram this type of expression gained prominence only after the 1970s.

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Hector von
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