Fence off the block — vim

Try it on a real buffer

Delete the whole marked block. Move to the first CUT line (j) and set mark a (ma). Drop to the last CUT line (3j), then delete everything from here back to the mark with d'a.

keep the header
CUT this line
CUT this one too
CUT and this one
CUT the last of them
keep the footer

Canonical solution: j ma 3j d'a · target: 8 keystrokes — the fewest that solve it (every keypress counts).

Why it works

'a (single quote) is the LINE of mark a; `a (backtick) is the exact position. Operators take marks as motions: d'a deletes linewise from the cursor to the mark — a surgical “delete from here to there”.

Keep going