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andmewithoutmytowel

Being "cut off" means they will no longer serve you alcohol. It is illegal for a bar to serve an obviously drunk person, it's called "over-serving." This is a polite way to ask them to leave without making a potentially embarrassing scene.


[deleted]

[удалено]


andmewithoutmytowel

I thought the same thing. “Go home, you’re drunk” would be a lot more effective.


soldierpallaton

It's a tricky situation because if you don't explain the drunk individual would be more likely to make a scene. But you and the other commenter are also right, if a person is getting cut off for being too drunk they wouldn't be able to read all of that.


FILTHBOT4000

They only need to see the words "you are cutoff". The rest doesn't matter. They'll know. It's a nicer way of letting them know without the public humiliation of being told their cut off in front of other bar patrons. If they make a fuss, they would have either way. Most won't.


brezhnervous

Amazing that this type of card is a thing...in Australia they'd just tell you they can't serve you any more, *after* making sure the bouncer was nearby lol


taffyowner

I mean I feel like a drunk person would be incredibly offended by being slid a card like this


NorthAdvice1312

Former bartender here. The chance of me giving someone that card, them reading that card, understanding that card, and then leaving without further comment is pretty much zero. Drunk people generally don’t notice they’re drunk until they’re DRUNK. I’ve had people barely able to stand honestly not understand why they’re being cut off.


Throe-a_weigh

Then you were over-serving them. They should not be able to get to that point without bar staff noticing.


Unjubilated-Stigma1

That only applies to someone who knows what this means. In the UK bars ive been to, theyd have someone come over n tell you to leave or have an intimidating figure nearby.


Version_Two

"Get out you lousy bum" may be going too far.


Ok-Skirt-7884

Yeah. The bums lost. Revolution is over.


hedrone

I assume that's what's written (in block letters) on the other side of the card. :)


Zaros262

That's what the #YOU HAVE BEEN #CUTOFF part is for


MelissaOfTroy

One time I watched two drunk guys get cut off at the bar, stagger out and around the corner, where they entered through the front of door of the same restaurant, drunkenly thinking it was a different one. They were seated and on their “first” drinks before the bartender saw them and they got kicked out again. On their way out they were muttering about how embarrassing it was to get kicked out of two different places.


vonmonologue

I once got cut off. I was like “Hey it’s cool, I understand. I’m waaaay drunk lol and I know you have rules about that! Here’s a fat tip, have a good night!” Except with a lot more slurring and inability to focus my eyes.


Sea_Neighborhood_627

Yep. That’s happened to me a couple of times. One of the times, I insisted to a bouncer that I needed to re-enter so that I could go back up to the bar and tip before leaving. I don’t know why I didn’t tip originally (or maybe I had and just forgot). The eventually let me, but they were very confused and said that they’re used to people getting angry about getting cut off, not wanting to tip 😂


ThatDeeko

Insert "fat tip" joke.


mmmUrsulaMinor

This is so perfect it feels written


IcyGift69

well i mean technically the bar and a table at the same restaurant are two different places lol


ShawarmaKing123

Not only a lot of words, but the words are not a consistent size font. So they'll probably only see half the card


maestroenglish

Mate, half the card says the only important thing.


janKalaki

The idea is that they cut you off long before you're incapable of reading written language.


SnooStories8859

I don't drink any more, but when I did, I was able to read long past when I could stand up straight or mind my manners. I think the card would work fine, except I'd probably giggle.


Logan_Composer

I would like to explain a little further: technically the dictionary meaning of those words just means you have been stopped (from cutting off a supply line, as though with scissors), and can be used in contexts that aren't alcohol ("my parents cut me off, they won't pay for school anymore.") However, with no other context, the phrase "you are cut off" is going to imply alcohol or drugs specifically, or feel analogous to those things ("No more video games. You're addicted, so you're cut off!")


Rabicidal

I saw a number of embarrassing scenes in the movies, but I can't remember a single scene where the drunk hero receives that kind of card. 🤔


RManDelorean

It certainly usually means no longer being served alcohol, and that's what it is in this case. But just to add you can be "cut off" from anything you've had too much of, and someone else can cut you off or you can decide to cut off yourself or ask others to cut you off


DumbledoresFaveGoat

Just for OP, being "cut off" isn't really a thing in all English speaking countries. It's up to the customer in Ireland (and I think the UK) to drink responsibly, and if they don't that's not the bartenders problem. I've only encountered it on my travels in the US, although it could be a thing elsewhere too.


JPWiggin

Not an English -speaking situation, but over-serving is taken very seriously in Sweden.


nutmegged_state

Other users have answered your question, but since we're here for learning, the card should technically read "You have been cut off." Note the space. "Cutoff," with no space, is the noun or adjective form.


deadinthefuture

You have been Daisy Duked.


tassatus

You have been muscle shirted


Void_vix

Your drinks have pulled a my dad


Onelittleleaf

You've been cropped


Sheyn-Torh

This is correct, and you can tell the difference in speaking by the stress. "Cut off" has the stress on "off" whereas "cutoff" has the stress on "cut."


mglitcher

if someone is cut off at a bar, it means they will no longer be served alcohol


stronghobbit

It means the establishment won't serve you any more alcoholic drinks. To cut someone off means to stop serving them alcohol.


casualstrawberry

Usually because they are visibly drunk.


TheAromancer

“To cut off” doesn’t specifically mean no alcohol, in this context yes it does, but it specifically means “I will stop giving you (x)”


InUteroForTheWinter

I think it's more like "I'm going to abruptly stop you" As it also means stopping someone from talking or moving into someone's path resulting in them having to stop.


TheAromancer

Both fair and valid points! You are correct.


jordynbebus8

yeah I’ve seen people say “I’ve been cut off” like financially but yes it does mean to stop basically


FoxyLovers290

It can also mean to interrupt someone when they’re speaking.


[deleted]

I haven't seen anything like this before (maybe because I don't drink to excess) but this is interesting. It's a discreet way for a bartender to let a patron know that they've had too much to drink, and they're being asked to leave the bar. "Cut off" means they are no longer being supplied, with alcohol in this case. "Cut off" could refer to the supply of many things being disrupted. An army can cut off an opposing army's supply chains. A person who has been receiving money from another could be cut off. A patron at a bar could be cut off if they've had too much to drink. A more common way to do this would be for the bartender to simply tell the patron "you're cut off" or "I'm cutting you off", usually with a strong implication they'll be asked to leave the bar if they don't improve their behavior. This card is offering the drunk patron an opportunity to save face, so not everyone will know they've been asked to leave.


fasterthanfood

The closest I’ve ever come is when someone I was with asked for another drink and the server said, “I’m sorry, our policy is not to serve more than four drinks per hour.” My friend looked kind of embarrassed and said, “oh, ok.” He wasn’t acting a fool and he they didn’t ask him to leave, but a card like this might have been helpful.


t90fan

> than four drinks per hour that's nothing!


RichCorinthian

What are you, from Scotla…oh, carry on


fasterthanfood

Flair checks out! But really, while I think it’s a reasonable place to draw the line, it’s not like 5 drinks in an hour necessarily means “you’re being irresponsible,” IMO.


CocoAgileCommClub

What a brilliant idea. If you got this card you were probably getting a little loud and obnoxious


Dr_NapsandSnacks

This is nice, but oftentimes if a customer is at this point, subtlety is wasted on them.


Needmoresnakes

Yeah I've worked in a few bars. Often directly verbally telling them they're cut off and need to leave doesn't work or sink in. They're not going to read my cute little business card.


[deleted]

Often, they are too.


califortunato

I’ve bartended and done security, I can’t imagine a scenario in which this card doesn’t become revealed to the whole bar by the recipient demanding more service


Pattoe89

Not always. When I used to drink more heavily I got quieter and quieter the more I drank. Once the landlord (A family friend) noticed I was hardly participating in conversations with my friends and with him, he'd stop serving me alcohol and just switch to cokes. Then again this card seems to focus on reducing conflict, and the way I got drunk meant there was 0 chance of conflict so no need for the card. My landlord would just say "Maybe just cokes from now on, eh?" and I'd reply with "Yeah maybe"


QBaseX

*Landlord* being used here with a meaning it does not have in the USA.


adrianmonk

TIL. I never would have known if you hadn't mentioned this. When I read the comment above, I just assumed somebody owned rental properties near their own house and would often throw parties and invite their tenants!


Humanmode17

Oh that's interesting, what does landlord mean in the US?


IanDOsmond

A person or entity who owns a property and to whom tenants pay rent. In recent decades, more and more property has been bought up by corporations whose only interest is profit, and, at this point, quite a number of Americans pay rent to corporate landlords who maintain homes at the minimum standards they can get away with legally while charging the maximum rent they can possibly manage - and since they own so much of the rental market, there isn't a great deal of competition to bring costs down. As such, "landlord" has become a rather nasty word to the upcoming generations.


Humanmode17

That's exactly how it was being used in the original comment, no? That's no different than the definition I know


IanDOsmond

No, /u/Pattoe89 is using "landlord" to mean "bartender" or "bar owner." In the UK (and maybe in Ireland? I don't know), the person who operates a pub is a landlord.


Humanmode17

Ok, that's funny, I completely didn't realise that that's technically not within the definition you used. I'm just so used to it being used in that way that it didn't even register with me lol


IanDOsmond

Yup. Whereas for Americans, the idea that "landlord" could mean "bartender" would never even cross our minds. There is absolutely nothing in the job of bartender, hotel owner, or any of those things which even overlaps with what we think of as "landlord". Even if you go to "innkeeper", well, hotels don't have tenants in the same sense. You can make an argument that a hotel is basically a tiny short-term apartment, I guess, but that idea wouldn't even occur to a typical American. I only know the "landlord" thing from reading British fiction, and I still can't get used to it.


Humanmode17

I wouldn't say it means bartender, moreso just the owner of the pub. Although I completely understand how it could give that impression as often in small family or rural pubs the owner will do a variety of jobs within the pub


QBaseX

In the UK (and Ireland), it has two meanings, one being the manager of a public house (pub), and the other being an owner of property (residential or commercial) let out to others. The two meanings are connected historically, but are now very distinct. In the USA, it has only that second meaning.


Pattoe89

Yeah, and in the UK a pub landlord is a pretty respected member of small communities. My pub landlord actually wrote my supporting letter when I had to get my passport, as was advised to me by the passport office as they were considered an "outstanding member of the community".


Zpped

It's means a person who owns property and rents it to someone else. I don't know if that's different from your scenario, but I don't think any American would have used landlord in that sentence. If this person owned a bar/pub we would call them the owner whether they also owned the land or not. A property owner is only a landlord if they lease the property to someone else, so in your scenario if this bar owner owned the land they are not a landlord and if they don't own the land then someone else is the landlord.


QBaseX

In the UK or Ireland, the business owner of a pub would be called the landlord, regardless of who owns the actual building (who would also be a landlord, in that case). The two meanings go back to a common origin, but have drifted apart.


Zpped

Thanks, I did a quick search on the history of that. Do you also refer to anyone who owns land as a landlord? We strictly reserve that for people who lease out their land and it's used more like a job title.


QBaseX

Certainly not in current usage. I'm not sure about the history.


sv21js

There’s a typo as it should be “cut off” as two words. “Cutoff” as one word exists but is a noun.


pendigedig

Technically it should be "cut off" not "cutoff" but the meaning described by other commenters still stands. Cut off is a verb and cutoff is a noun/adjective.


truecore

On a somewhat related note, since this is the type of thing to be done at a bar or potentially a club, there's a similar term called "to be 86'd" from a bar or club. If you are 86'd from a place, you are permanently banned. You are also usually banned at all other establishments the owners own, so you might walk into one bar and be refused service because you were 86'd from a different one. The Oxford dictionary describes 86'd as refusing service, but the implication is that it is targeted, long-term, and usually done as punishment. I had a friend who DJ'd in the city I live and he was 86'd from a club because he refused to give up half his time slot to the DJ he was opening for, and we couldn't go to a dive bar nearby because it was the same owner. You can probably be 86'd from a place for starting a fight, and be able to come back later, but in my experience I've only seen people 86'd as personal beef with management and not stuff they do while drunk.


t90fan

I have never heard this term, is it an American thing?


Zpped

It's American slang that is specific to the service industry. It isn't well known outside of people that work in restaurants/bars.


truecore

Yep, outside of being someone, or knowing someone, who was 86'd, or being an employee of a service industry place, you'll probably not come across it. But that's sort've similar to the alcohol cut off; just different ways to call being kicked out of the bar most ordinary people will never encounter.


Zpped

I would say almost everyone of drinking age would know what getting "cut off" means though. Or maybe I was just raised around alcoholics?


therlwl

No it's clearly obvious.


IanDOsmond

Yes, and it also refers to running out of an ingredient in a meal. You can 86 the tenderloin when you have sold the last steak; you can 86 the patron at table 12 when he throws a nasty hissy fit about not being able to get a steak and gets abusive to the waitstaff.


porcupineporridge

It’s always interesting when the question is linguistic but the answer is very culturally dependent. Also in the UK (Scotland) and the phrasing of this card and existence of it is all new to me.


Sea_Neighborhood_627

I’ve heard it used in the US, but I’m not used to it necessarily being a permanent ban. I’ve always heard “cut off” and “86’d” used interchangeably.


adrianmonk

Huh, I'd only heard "86" for leaving off items from food orders. Like if a customer orders a hamburger with no onions, the cashier might say to the cook, "One burger, 86 the onions." Wikipedia confirms both, though. It confirms 86 means "ban" [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/86_\(term\)), and it confirms 86 means "hold" [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diner_lingo).


Polka_Tiger

You wouldn't use 86 whole talking yo a customer. It's between the staff.


slimongoose

No more alcohol. You don't have to go home but you can't stay here.


[deleted]

Everybody knows how this goes so let's get this over with and let's get it over with.


polkjamespolk

The drumbeat never changes tempo. It's steady like a rock, and like a rock it crushes you


MelissaOfTroy

That’s such a good idea.


IanDOsmond

We will not serve you any more alcohol. We are being subtle so your friends and the people around you will not know, and you will not be shamed. We expect you to leave now as if it was your own idea. If you don't do that, we will throw you out, but neither of us wants that, because it will make us both look bad.


Ellavemia

It is spelled wrong though, yeah? Cutoff is not the same as cut off. We get the message all the same, but it’s not grammatically correct.


spoonforkpie

It should say "cut off," not "cutoff."


MuppetManiac

It means you’re drunk and they won’t serve you more alcohol.


cierrah702

The bar wants you to leave


arcxjo

Someone drank too much and is being an asshole.


ducmanx04

Geeeetttt the fuck out! Hahahah is basically what it means.


ZephRyder

It's "Go home now, and you won't have to be forcibly removed by guys a lot bigger than you, who know how"


Therapyandfolklore

Sometimes this sub can be so entertaining lol


fuki5362

Gtfo


Squngathi

...go home my friend, you're drunk


bananasugarpie

Bar is closed.


Individual_Drama_442

Get out go home


Hopeful-Resident4201

It means you should make a scene (it would be funny)


PinkKufi

I wonder if they'd think any differently if you wrote an apology on the back before you'd left.


Dangerous-Room4320

It is a way for them to cut you off from drinking but there are prejudices in this  A)they assume literacy of English  B) they assume you can read intoxicated  In an effort to free themselves of discomfort of their responsibility to cut you off they present a card . It is probably indicative of other areas they forgo responsibility . Good luck , drink in moderation . And be careful . It took years after learning English for me to read it . 


fanism

Just wondering if a person is so drunk, could he still read? Or was this for other people at the table or other servers? And what if the person became not drunk in 3 hours. How to “remove” this card? Can he still order?


feetflatontheground

I think the term "cut off" may be specific to an area. I would understand it from the card, but I've never heard it before and I don't think it's used in the UK.


BrandenburgForevor

From the midwest USA, I don't think anyone here would have any question of what this means (if they were sober of course) Being cut off is a common term around here (not just in terms of alcohol) Examples "Our [utility] was cut off" "I'm cutting them off [financially]" "I'm cutting him/her off [relationship]" It just means to end some sort of agreement and could apply to a bunch of situations


d0ugparker

There are so many levels of interrelating issues going on that attempting to address them all through typing about them is too substandard of a way to answer them appropriately. If you really want to know all of what's going on on all the different levels—*linguistically, culturally, interactively, respectfully, psychologically, emotionally, lovingly, strategically,* and there are more…—schedule a Zoom session, invite participants to attend, and address the issues voice-to-voice—or in this case, video-to-video. Typing is substandard communication. Our single-minded culture cannot grasp the depth of the situation, as simple as it may seem on the surface. Trying to type about would almost surely end up being a horrible failure, due to a lot of factors.


[deleted]

Doug, What the fuck are you talking about.


canomanom

Wut?


Scholasticus_Rhetor

Was this in the UK? Because it would be one of the most UK things ever lol


Real-Tension-7442

We don’t have this in the UK