What is a “crosscut shredder” in American English?

Discovering The Ultimate Big-Box Store Wonderland

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A2 English listening practice · American English · Picked for people who know a little

💡 Did you know?
crosscut shredder
American home-office word
The middle level of American shredder taxonomy: strip-cut, crosscut, and micro-cut

Americans take paper shredding seriously, partly because of fears about identity theft and stolen Social Security numbers. American shredders come in three main types: strip-cut (long thin strips, the cheapest), crosscut (small rectangles, the most common in American homes), and micro-cut (tiny confetti, used for sensitive documents). Office-supply stores rate each level by security number. Crosscut is the residential default; serious identity-theft worriers go for micro-cut. Americans treat shredder choice like coffee preference: strong opinions, brand loyalty, and online reviews.

In this clip, a couple wanders through a big-box store. The husband stops at the shredder aisle and points to a model: “Confetti and crosscut. Yep. The paper shredder I wanted.” American home-office and big-box shopping content runs on these small product-category obsessions.

From TBS↗ on YouTube.Watch original

How common are the words?

How common are the words in this A2 English listening practice video?

88.9%
of words are in the top 2,000 most common English words
Most of the words in this video are common English words.

How common in written English

83.3%
Top 1,000
88.9%
Top 2,000
98.6%
Top 5,000

How common in spoken English

91.2%
Top 1,000
100%
Top 2,000
100%
Top 5,000
👄 Words for talking
This video uses words people often say in English.

Harder words in this video

These words are harder than A2. Here is what they mean.

confetti
1×
Not in top 5,000
decorative paper pieces
shredder
1×
Not in top 5,000
machine that shreds documents
diapers
1×
Not in top 5,000
baby absorbent pants
cam
3×
Top 5,000
short for camera
a really good one
1×
unexpectedly large or impressive collection

Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-US 2012 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.

★Where you hear this

See American English Videos You Can Understand on Reelang

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