Cookie cutter

A cookie cutter in American English and biscuit cutter in Commonwealth English is a tool to cut out cookie/biscuit dough in a particular shape. They are often used for seasonal occasions when well-known decorative shapes are desired, or for large batches of cookies where simplicity and uniformity are required. Cookie cutters have also been used for, among other uses, cutting and shaping tea sandwiches.

Types and variations

Alternative definition

"Cookie cutter," when used as an adjective (as a noun adjunct phrase), is defined as a "lack of originality or distinction", a reference to the uniformity that results from the use of a cookie cutter. In this usage a hyphen is often inserted to group the concept 'cookie cutter' into a single modifier. One example is a reference to a suburban subdivision's housing, all looking pretty much alike, as "cookie-cutter homes". This also applies to the automotive industry where platform sharing is prevalent.

See also

References

Gobo (lighting)

A gobo (or GOBO) is a physical stencil or template slotted inside, or placed in front of, a lighting source, used to control the shape of emitted light.

In the design of an artificial environment in which lighting instruments are used, it is sometimes desirable to manipulate the shape of the light which is cast over a space or object. To do so, a piece of metal with patterned holes through which light passes is placed in the beam of light to allow only the desired "shape" or pattern through, while blocking the rest of the light, casting a specific shadow/light into the space.

Though the term "gobo" has come to generally refer to any device which produces patterns of light and shadow or various pieces of equipment that go before a light (such as a gobo arm or gobo head), the specific term itself also defines the device used in theatrical lighting applications because of the mandated placement of the device in 'the gate' or 'point of focus' between the light source and the lenses (or optics). This placement is important because it allows the focusing of the pattern or shape into a crisp, sharp edge (for logos, fine detail, architecture, etc.) and also the softening the edges (breakup patterns, etc.). Gobos placed in the beam of light post-optics do not have the option of such fine focus, and are more precisely called "flags" or "cookies."

Cookie-cutter campaign

Cookie-cutter campaigns are political campaigns, engineered by political consultants who run virtually identical campaigns in different jurisdictions. The typical hallmarks of such a campaign are direct mail advertisements using identical layouts and stock photographs. The term is typically used derisively, often by local political activists frustrated with the lack of attention to local public issues and lack of understanding of local political and governmental nuances.

The rise of cookie-cutter campaigns is due in large measure to the rise of political consulting. Where political consultants once were limited mostly to national and statewide elections, they are now employed down to the levels of city council and school board elections. Taking on many clients, they employ standardized materials and strategies for different campaigns.