• can@sh.itjust.works
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        5 months ago

        Bing AI gave me this: "The phrase “did not cut to waste” in the context of bread rationing during wartime refers to the idea that stale bread, being firmer and less crumbly than fresh bread, could be sliced more thinly and evenly without falling apart or producing excess crumbs. "

    • nelly_man@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it means to cut in a wasteful manner, particularly in terms of fabric. From elsewhere, it looks like it’s also used in construction in regards to cutting material such that the remaining sections are not usable for other purposes.

      However, I’m not sure how stale bread discourages such cuts.

      • dubyakay@lemmy.ca
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        5 months ago

        Fresh bread tastes amazing. You overconsume by eating it by itself.

        Stale bread tastes… stale. You actually cut thin slices so you can top it with stuff that masks it.