cut off the remaining bit of the cocoon

A butterfly struggled to force its body through a little hole in a cocoon. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could go. A man saw this and he decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and cut off the remaining bit the cocoon.



Hi,

How should I interpret the part in bold? Is it the same as "cut open the cocoon?" Thanks.

Not quite the same. In your text it means completely severed whereas 'cut open' doesn't have the idea os severed

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Horsa

Not quite the same. In your text it means completely severed whereas 'cut open' doesn't have the idea os severed

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Thanks, Horsa.
But I still don't grasp the meaning of "cut off the remaining bit of the cocoon." Could you paraphrase it? I wonder why it is not "cut off the remaining cocoon."

'bit' here means 'piece' and in the context provided tells us that most of the cocoon had already become detached leaving just the 'bit'referred to which the man then removed.:-)

Thanks, Horsa.