Free Cut

Five minutes before class begins, you are still frantically going over the 10 cases you have not finished reading.  Cold sweat trickled down from your brows.  You can almost taste defeat. knowing you are in deep trouble.  Your professor will not mince words once he founds out you have not prepared for his class. Then, the class beadle screamed 'free cut!'

Half of the class broke into applause.  You breathed a sigh of relief.  For a second you felt like it's Christmas Day already, yehey!  You might as well spell 'Free cut'  as salvation.  Student know all to well what it means -- class is cancelled.

A free cut may be announced the night before or hours or even minutes before (or after) a class time begins.  In some universities,  a free cut is automatic when the professor fails to arrive within 15 minutes.

Why is these phrase so magical?  Let me count the ways.  A free cut is like a life raft which appeared out of nowhere after you attempted (and failed!) to read the gazillion of readings, cases, books,  for a particular class.  It felt like that for me most of the time anyways. Believe me, I can only count in the fingers of one hand when I could confidently say that I have thoroughly read each and every single assigned material.

Do you have the same feelings regarding 'free cut?'  Leave any kind of comments, experiences, reactions below.