cut one’s teeth
idiom

- to learn or do as a beginner or at the start of one’s career

American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

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ORIGIN

When infants begin to get their first set of teeth, the teeth “cut” through the gums (also called teething). Thus to cut one’s teeth on something is to learn something early or at the start. The phrase dates back to the mid-17th century.

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BEFORE THEY WERE FAMOUS

Many famous people cut their teeth in jobs completely unrelated to their eventual success:

Madonna – Dunkin’ Donuts Employee
Michelle Pfeiffer – Grocery Store Employee
Harrison Ford – Carpenter
Sandra Bullock – Waitress & Bar tender
Angelina Jolie – Funeral Director
Jim Carrey – Factory Cleaner
Brad Pitt - Chicken Costume Wearer
Beyoncé - Salon Floor Sweeper
Nicole Kidman - Massage Therapist
Julia Roberts - Ice Cream Scooper

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TOOTHY TERMS

- sink one’s teeth into something = to start to do something with lots of energy and enthusiasm

- by the skin of one’s teeth = to barely succeed at something

- grind (or gnash) one’s teeth = to complain angrily about something

- grit one’s teeth = to accept a difficult situation and deal with it in a determined way

- lie through one’s teeth = to lie about something that you know is completely false

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PRACTICE OWAD in an English conversation, discuss something like:

“He CUT HIS TEETH working in the mailroom, now he’s CEO.”

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Paul Smith