# on the cutting edge



## Tunia

How do you understand :" On the cutting edge today it's new ideas which are driving growth."

-it's refers to Africa, I think it's 'it has'-at least it sounds logically then - I'm not sure though, and I don't understand that sentence.


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## Thomas1

Hello, Tunia, and welcome to the forums. 

Please provide us some more information:
a sentence or two preceding the one you gave,
everything that may help us help you.
What is the text you took the sentence from about?


Without such information it is impossible to give you a good answer.


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## Tunia

it comes from a talk on economy and ideas. Here's the context-
"And I think, as you'll see, there's reasons for optimism.Because I believe that the best is yet to come.On the cutting edge today it's new ideas which are driving growth. And by that I mean it's products for which the research and development costs are really high, and the manufacturing costs are low."    and then again   "More than ever before it is these types of ideas which are driving growth on the cutting edge."

I've found at the cutting edge in a dictionary, but "on" ???


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## NotNow

Usually you have to be _on the cutting edge_ of something, like technology, fashion, medicine, etc.


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## Tunia

yes, but what does it mean? is it like an adjective?


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## Thomas1

Thanks for the context.

I understand that: 
On the cutting edge today = Among the most important things that dictate the directions of developement/new trends
it's new ideas = new plans/methotds/conceptions/thoughts; _it's_  to me is _it is_, as in _It's Tom who's broken the window!_
which are driving growth. = these new ideas are inciting the process of growing

   Perhaps the following would translate the idea into Polish: To (właśnie) nowe pomysły, które napędzają wzrost, wyznaczają dziś kierunki rozwoju.

Here you will find both versions of the adverbial expression in question.


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## Tunia

Thank you sooooo much  I understand now. Thanx again!!!


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## NotNow

Perhaps you can use stronger words than _nowe_, such as _najbardziej zaawansowane_ or _najnowocześniejsze_, in order to convey the idea of "cutting edge."


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