1
general::
Phrase(s): cut across something 1. [and] cut across
Lit. to travel across a particular area; to take a shortcut across a particular area. • Please don’t cut across the neighbor’s yard anymore. 2. Fig. to reach beyond something; to embrace a wide variety; to slice across a figurative boundary or barrier. • His teaching cut across all human cultures and races. • This rule cuts across all social barriers.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
Go beyond, transcend, as in The new regulations cut across class lines. This figurative use of cut across, which literally means "run through" or "intersect," dates from the 1920s.
American Heritage Idioms