We all have to start somewhere, and that's the philosophy behind the phrase cut your teeth. To cut your teeth on something means to gain your first significant experience. If you are a trained chef, for example, you might say you cut your teeth flipping hamburgers when you were a teenager. If you are a computer expert, you could claim that you cut your teeth working on the first Apple II PCs. Whatever your field of expertise may be, you most likely "cut your teeth" working with less sophisticated equipment at an early age.

The expression cut your teeth most likely evolved from the sometimes painful realities of human dental development. Many young adults experience an eruption of third molars known as "wisdom teeth". Sometimes the eruption, or cutting, of these wisdom teeth is a relatively painless experience, but other times a painful crowding situation arises. These extra teeth may have to be surgically removed if their presence becomes problematic. Because the eruption of wisdom teeth or "eye teeth" often coincides with a young adult's first real work experience, the association between the two rites of passage most likely seemed inevitable.

Cutting your teeth on a particular machine or entry-level project may or may not be a satisfying experience at the time, but it often prepares you for more challenging duties. A professional chef in training, for example, may start out making salads or appetizers at a small restaurant. The job itself may be very demanding or repetitive or tedious, but if the chef should ever have to fill in for a missing salad maker years later, he or she would have the necessary skills to do it. By cutting your teeth on basic equipment and procedures, you often develop a sense of mastery, which could prove useful as your career advances.