scissors
What does scissors mean?
The ✂️ scissors emoji depicts a classic pair of open scissors, typically featuring silver blades and bright red finger loops. Literally, it represents everyday cutting tools, making it a staple in conversations about arts and crafts, school supplies, tailoring, and office work. It is also the go-to symbol for hair salons, barbershops, and grooming, frequently used when someone is getting a fresh haircut or experimenting with a new style. Beyond its literal uses, the scissors emoji frequently appears in digital communication to symbolize removal or separation. You will often see it paired with phrases like "cutting ties," "trimming the fat," or severely reducing a budget. It also pops up in couponing communities and DIY spaces, representing the physical act of clipping out deals or altering crafting materials.
Slang & Modern Usage
In internet slang, the ✂️ emoji is heavily used to represent "cutting someone off." When a user decides to end a toxic friendship or relationship, they might drop this emoji to signal that they are severing ties for good and removing negative energy from their life. Additionally, it frequently appears in the phrase "cut the cameras" or "cut the feed," a popular reaction on Twitter and TikTok used when a situation gets awkwardly out of hand or embarrassing. The emoji also has specific informal uses depending on the community. In LGBTQ+ spaces, it is sometimes used as a shorthand for lesbian relationships or the sexual act of scissoring. Alternatively, millennials and Gen Z might use it playfully to refer to getting a vasectomy ("snip snip") or aggressively cropping a photo before posting it to social media.
Emoji Combos
Platform Differences
The scissors emoji is highly consistent across platforms, almost universally featuring red handles and silver blades, though the exact angle at which the open blades point varies slightly depending on the device.
Technical Information
| Unicode | U+2702 |
| HTML Entity | ✂ |
| CSS | \2702 |
| JavaScript | \u{2702} |
| Unicode Version | Unicode 0.6 |
| Status | Fully-qualified |