cut-and-try

[ kuht-n-trahy ]

adjective

1. marked by a procedure of trial and error; empirical:

   Many scientific advances are achieved with a cut-and-try approach.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cut-and-try¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

The Rad Lab returned to the days of cut-and-try; any configuration that produced a stronger or sharper beam was incorporated into the standard, even if the experimenters could not figure out why it worked.

From Literature

When economists call themselves pragmatists, they mean that they are the opposite of dogmatists, that they are wary of broad theories, that they lean to the cut-and-try approach to public problems, and that they believe it is possible to improve the functioning of the economy by tinkering with it.

From Time Magazine Archive

To test a new missile by the cut-and-try method of actual flight is expensive not only in money, but also in more precious time.

From Time Magazine Archive

He calculates the delicate balances of each part by the cut-and-try method.

From Time Magazine Archive

Nature has no means of reaching success except by the rule of natural selection—the old-fashioned plan of “cut-and-try,” and this means much failure along the road of advance.

From Project Gutenberg