Definition

1. Noun:

   • The digestive tract, especially the intestines: The long, tube-like part of the body that processes food, from the stomach to the anus.
   • The internal organs of an animal, especially when removed: The entrails or viscera of a butchered animal.
   • A strong, thin cord made from animal intestines: Historically used for surgical sutures, musical instrument strings, or fishing lines.
   • A narrow passage or channel: A narrow waterway or strait.
   • (Informal) Courage and determination; instinctive feeling: Used to refer to personal fortitude or a deep, intuitive reaction.

2. Verb:

   • To remove the internal organs from an animal or fish: To disembowel or eviscerate.
   • To destroy the interior of something completely: To burn or strip out the inside of a building or object, leaving only the outer shell.
   • (Informal) To extract the essential or most valuable parts from something: To take the core content from a text or idea.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • The surgeon used catgut for the stitches. (The surgeon used a cord made from animal intestines for the stitches.)
  • He had a gut feeling something was wrong. (He had an instinctive feeling something was wrong.)
  • The boat sailed through the narrow gut between the islands. (The boat sailed through the narrow channel between the islands.)

• Verb:

  • You need to gut the fish before you cook it. (You need to remove the intestines from the fish before you cook it.)
  • The fire completely gutted the historic building. (The fire completely destroyed the interior of the historic building.)

Advanced Usage

• "To have the guts (to do something)": To have the courage or nerve to do something.

  • She had the guts to stand up and speak her mind. (She had the courage to stand up and speak her mind.)

• "Gut reaction/feeling": An immediate, instinctive emotional response.

  • My gut reaction was to say no. (My immediate instinct was to say no.)

• "To gut (a piece of legislation, a report)": To remove the most important or effective parts, weakening it.

  • Critics accused them of gutting the environmental bill. (Critics accused them of removing the core provisions of the environmental bill.)

Variants and Related Words

• Gutless (adj): Lacking courage or determination.

  • It was a gutless performance from the team. (It was a cowardly performance from the team.)

• Gutsy (adj): Showing courage and determination.

  • That was a gutsy decision. (That was a brave decision.)

• Catgut (n): A type of cord made from the intestines of sheep or other animals, used for surgical sutures and musical strings.

Synonyms

• Noun (intestines): Bowels, entrails, viscera.
• Noun (courage): Courage, nerve, fortitude, pluck.
• Verb (remove organs): Disembowel, eviscerate, draw.
• Verb (destroy interior): Devastate, ravage, strip.

Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Gut" is not commonly used in standard phrasal verb constructions. Its verbal uses are typically transitive.)

Related Idioms

• "Bust a gut": To make a huge effort; to laugh very hard.

  • He was busting a gut to finish the project on time. (He was making an enormous effort to finish the project on time.)
  • The comedian was so funny, I busted a gut laughing. (The comedian was so funny, I laughed uncontrollably.)

• "Spill one's guts": To confess everything; to tell all your secrets or private feelings.

  • He finally spilled his guts to his therapist. (He finally confessed everything to his therapist.)

• "Hate someone's guts": To dislike someone intensely.

  • After what he did, I hate his guts. (After what he did, I despise him completely.)

Noun

1. a strong cord made from the intestines of sheep and used in surgery
2. a narrow channel or strait
3. the part of the alimentary canal between the stomach and the anus

Verb

1. remove the guts of
   • gut the sheep
2. empty completely; destroy the inside of
   • Gut the building