cut sign

cut sign
 v. phr.Gloss: To track someone by their trail marks. Note: Used inside the US Customs and Border Protection, which patrols the United States border. «He knew that the coyotes who led groups of undocumented workers, as well as the aliens who were without a guide, followed various favorite trails through the rough and diverse terrain. He had to keep on top of those trails and know when they abaondoned one for another. Noe learned their habits from sign cutting, then used his knowledge against them. “You watch the carefully,” he said in his classroom voice. “You have to be willing to cut sign.”» —by Robert Lee Maril Patrolling Chaos , 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Further reading

Fizzy relief headed your way

Trivia time! Where in the United States can you visit Soda City? If you answered Columbia, South Carolina, you’re right! This nickname apparently derives from an old practice of abbreviating Columbia as Cola. The locals then referred to the town as...

Cool Beans (episode #1570)

If you speak a second or third language, you may remember the first time you dreamed in that new tongue. But does this milestone mean you’re actually fluent? And a couple’s dispute over the word regret: Say you wish you’d been able...