noun
children's game of foot-tag
A traditional Japanese children's game where players try to touch each other's feet while avoiding having their own feet touched. Not widely known outside Japan.
子供の頃、よく足切りをして遊んだ。
When I was a child, I often played foot-tag.
noun
preliminary screening; cutoff test
Used in competitive contexts such as exams, auditions, or sports to describe a preliminary round that eliminates weak candidates. Often carries a negative nuance of being unfairly strict.
その試験は足切りが厳しくて、半分以上の人が落ちた。
The preliminary screening for that exam was so strict that more than half the people failed.
足切りラインを超えないと
If you don't clear the cutoff line, you can't proceed to the next round.