made the cut
Survived the selection
Made the cut means to meet a standard and be included rather than eliminated.
The phrase comes from competitive contexts where a cutoff point separates those who advance from those who don't—golf tournaments, team tryouts, job applications: Fifty people applied, but only twelve made the cut.
It implies passing a threshold of acceptability.
- selectedDeliberately chosen
- qualifiedMeeting necessary standards
- passedWent beyond or succeeded
- chosenSelected from alternatives
- shortlistedAdvanced to final consideration
victorious · successful · top tier · thresholds · passed muster · accepted · prerequisites · contest · approved · eligible · included · requirements · finalists · survivor · benchmarks · guidelines · expectations · selection process
made the cutwashed out
Faded or exhausted
crashed out · fell by the wayside · got the chop · bowed out · flamed out
made, make, makes, maker, makers, unmade, remake, remade, makeshift