cut to the chase

From cinema usage: to cut (edit a film) so as to get to the exciting part. Also, preceded by Chaucer c.1400, "The Wife of Bath's Tale"- "And shortly forth this tale for to chace" (To cut a long story short).

• Audio (General Australian):

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cut to the chase (third-person singular simple present cuts to the chase, present participle cutting to the chase, simple past and past participle cut to the chase)

1. (idiomatic) To get to the point; to get on with it; to state something directly.

   We don't have much time here. Could you cut to the chase?

   • 2011 Allen Gregory, "Pilot" (season 1, episode 1):

     Allen Gregory DeLongpre: I don't like to play games, the whole wait three days to text you, flirt with other women in front of you. It's exhausting. Let's just cut to the chase. We're in love with each other.

• cut to Hecuba (dated)
• get on with it
• get to the point

• beat around the bush

• cut to the quick

• cut to the chase on Wikipedia.Wikipedia