Communication

Cut to the chase

To get to the most important point without wasting time on details.

Examples

  • We only have five minutes, so let's cut to the chase.
  • She cut to the chase and asked how much the project would cost.

How to use it

Informal. Common as an instruction: let's cut to the chase.

Where it comes from

Usually traced to early American films, where a story would skip slow scenes and go straight to the exciting chase.