Considering the nuance of the situation, does "cut it out" is considered less aggressive than "quit it" or "stop it"? There are so many synonyms in English, but sometimes it is hard to tell the difference!

Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
I can understand the difficulty! We do have many words that mean the same thing. To answer your question, no, all of these phrases actually have the same nuance. They all mean to stop doing something. Since the man in the yellow hat is laughing, he isn't saying this angrily. "Quit it" and "stop it" can also be used this way. However, all of these phrases can be used angrily as well. It just depends on how the person is saying it and what their facial expressions are. Ex: Knock it off! I hate when you do that. => most likely an angry nuance Ex: Hey, cut it out! That tickles. => most likely a happy nuance Ex: Eww! Will you stop that! => most likely an angry nuance