he cut his teeth
he gained his first experience
TRANSLATION
cut his teeth = seine erste Erfahrungen gesammelt --- GOOGLE INDEX cut his teeth: approximately 260,000 hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
German Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel CUT HIS TEETH as a test driver for the BMW team. When he took part in the Friday practice session for the Turkish GP in 2006, he became the youngest driver to take part in a Grand Prix meeting, at the age of 19 years and 53 days.
(The Independent)
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He CUT HIS TEETH in Westminster after leaving Edinburgh’s Napier University with a business studies degree to work as northern isles MP Jim Wallace’s personal assistant and then becoming the party’s Scottish press officer in 1990.
(The Shetland News)
(The Independent)
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He CUT HIS TEETH in Westminster after leaving Edinburgh’s Napier University with a business studies degree to work as northern isles MP Jim Wallace’s personal assistant and then becoming the party’s Scottish press officer in 1990.
(The Shetland News)
Did you
know?
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, Fourth Edition)
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WORD 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.
Many famous people have cut their teeth doing things that have absolutely nothing to do with what made them famous. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was a research chemist for two industrial firms in London. Rocker Ozzy Ozbourne, known for his bizarre antics on the stage, once worked as an assistant to an undertaker and a plumber (but not at the same time). Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright sold bras in a department store.
Figuratively speaking, you can use your teeth in lots of ways:
- 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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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"He cut his teeth working in the mailroom, now he's CEO."
idiom
- to learn or do as a beginner or at the start of one's career.
(American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
---
WORD 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.
Many famous people have cut their teeth doing things that have absolutely nothing to do with what made them famous. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was a research chemist for two industrial firms in London. Rocker Ozzy Ozbourne, known for his bizarre antics on the stage, once worked as an assistant to an undertaker and a plumber (but not at the same time). Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright sold bras in a department store.
Figuratively speaking, you can use your teeth in lots of ways:
- 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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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"He cut his teeth working in the mailroom, now he's CEO."
