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Vocabulary : Idioms : C : cut to the chase

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cut to the chase Informal

Meaning: If you tell someone to cut to the chase, you want them to get straight to the main point of what they are saying.

For example:

  • I didn't have time to chat, so I told Ben to cut to the chase and just tell me what he wanted.

  • He doesn't understand that in some countries small talk is expected, and you never cut to the chase and get straight down to business.

Origin: Possibly related to the fact that many early silent movies included an exciting chase sequence, and young men especially might yell out "cut to the chase" in the hope that the projectionist would skip the boring parts of the film and go straight to the most exciting parts, especially the chase.

Quick Quiz:

If you're in a meeting and someone says "let's cut to the chase", they don't want to waste time talking about
  1. important details
  2. unrelated matters
  3. the main topic

Discuss: cut to the chase

Idiom of the Day

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