is someone cutting onions

phrase

Drawing attention to somebody crying, or to a sad moment that makes one want to cry.

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Meanings

phraseis someone cutting onions?
  1. humorousDrawing attention to somebody crying, or to a sad moment that makes one want to cry.

    “Is someone cutting onions?” They must be. I'm sure of it. I'm not much of a crier, and I'm the type who tends to bury her emotions as much as she can.

    2019, Chantal Fernando, Saint
    1 more example

    She looks up at him and smiles, and he smiles back, and man, is someone cutting onions in here? My throat is tight and dry, and I'm so jealous of Margo and Mendel I can barely think.

    2023, Sara Waxelbaum, Brianna R. Shrum, Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl
Cite this entry
APA

is someone cutting onions. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/is%20someone%20cutting%20onions

MLA

“is someone cutting onions.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/is%20someone%20cutting%20onions. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “is someone cutting onions,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/is%20someone%20cutting%20onions.

Source: is someone cutting onions on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.