cull

bene cull

obsolete slang A good fellow. Primarily heard in UK. Ah, no, he's one of us—a right bene cull! Why are you acting like Peter's some suspicious character? Let him in, he's a bene cull. Of course I want my daughter to end up with a bene cull!

See also: bene, cull

cull (someone or something) out of (something)

To remove someone or something from a group. We were so determined to win the science bowl that we culled everyone who seemed susceptible to stage fright out of the team. We culled the weakest members of the herd out so that only the strongest would reproduce. If you're just going to disrupt the process, you will be culled out of the focus group, understand? We've got important work to do here.

See also: cull, of, out

cull out

To separate and remove someone or something from a group. A noun or pronoun can be used between "cull" and "out." We were so determined to win the science bowl that we culled out everyone who seemed susceptible to stage fright. We culled the weakest members of the herd out so that only the strongest would reproduce. If you're just going to disrupt the process, you will be culled out, understand? We've got important work to do here.

See also: cull, out

cull the herd

1. Literally, to separate or remove (and usually kill) inferior animals out of a herd so as to reduce numbers or remove undesirable traits from the group as a whole. We had to quickly cull the herd when it came to light that some cows might be carrying an infectious disease. The farmers culled the herd to ensure that only the strongest would reproduce. You need to cull the herd. Otherwise, these physical defects will just continue as the affected animals reproduce.

2. By extension, to separate or remove people from a larger group. With so many people applying for a limited number of jobs, employers have had to cull the herd by introducing much stricter criteria and a more elaborate application for hiring. Universities have long used standardized test results as a means of culling the herd of applicants they receive each year. We were so determined to win the science bowl that we culled the herd beforehand. Anyone susceptible to stage fright had to go!

See also: cull, herd

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

cull someone or something out of something

 and cull someone or something out

to eliminate someone or something from a group. We will cull the older pigeons out from the flock. They culled out the slower runners from the team.

See also: cull, of, out

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

cull

n. a socially unacceptable person. This place is so filled with culls! Let’s split.

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.