expression, na-adjective
piercing cold; biting wind
Describes cold or wind so intense it feels like it cuts into the body. Often used with nouns like 寒さ (cold) or 風 (wind).
身を切るような寒さの中、彼は外で待っていた。
He waited outside in the piercing cold.
身を切るような風が吹きつける。
A biting wind blows against me.
刺すような also describes sharp, stinging sensations (cold, pain, glare), but 身を切るよう is more vivid and specifically evokes cold or wind that feels like it cuts the body.
The expression literally means 'as if cutting the body', a metaphorical phrase for intense cold or wind. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a natural figurative extension of 身 (body) and 切る (cut).