cut-and-cover

[ kuht-n-kuhv-er ]

noun

1. a method for digging a tunnel, laying pipe, etc., by cutting a trench, constructing the tunnel or laying the pipe in it, and covering with the excavated material.

cut-and-cover

adjective

1. designating a method of constructing a tunnel by excavating a cutting to the required depth and then backfilling the excavation over the tunnel roof

Word History and Origins

Origin of cut-and-cover¹

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

The cut-and-cover, hurry-scurry methods of doing things, common on some Western farms, will not do in drainage work.

From Project Gutenberg