1
: music : a song that is considerably less popular and well-known than other songs on the same album or by the same artist
From there, the band careened through highlights and the occasional deep cut from its catalog …
—Mikael Wood
But the rocker saw an opportunity to turn casual fans on to his deep cuts—so each disc intersperses hits with lesser-known album tracks in non-chronological order.
—David Browne
2
: something (such as an obscure reference to a book or movie) that is recognizable to devotees but not usually to others
One of the fun things about being a Marvel fan is the franchise’s ability to constantly surprise its audience with comic book deep cuts, surprising castings, and twists that no one sees coming.
—Alexis Need
deep-cut adjective
a deep-cut reference/joke
“Deep-cut images” means very obscure or niche images that only people familiar with a particular topic, fandom, or culture would recognize.
Deep cut originally referred to an obscure song, especially one that isn’t a famous hit. It later came to mean an obscure reference.
For example:
“Here are some deep-cut SpongeBob images.”
This means:
“Here are some really obscure SpongeBob images/references that only hardcore fans might recognize.”
Similar words:
obscure = not well known
niche = appealing to a small, specific group
deep-cut = especially obscure, often in a way that impresses people who recognize it
“That’s a deep cut.”
= “Wow, that’s a really obscure reference.”