– Manuscript –
Welcome to English in a Minute!
Cookies are a sweet treat. A cookie cutter is something we use to cut cookies in a particular shape. But what else does cookie-cutter mean?
Cookie-cutter
Speaker A: Anna, can you help me think of a good housewarming gift?
Speaker B: Yes! I love parties that celebrate a new house! Tell me, what kind of house is it?
Speaker A: Um, it’s a basic cookie-cutter house. All the houses on the street look the same.
Speaker B: Cookie-cutter, hmm. I know! Buy them a set of… cookie cutters!
Speaker A: Really, Anna? Actually, that’s a pretty good idea.
It may sound like a good thing, but the term cookie-cutter is not praise. It describes something ordinary, predictable and not very special.
*This article has been edited and reprinted from VOA Learning English with permission from Voice of America (VOA) for use in English language materials.
English 
日本語