What does "cut to the chase" mean?
"Cut to the chase" means to get to the important point without wasting time. Here's where it comes from and how to use it.
What it means
Skip unnecessary preamble and get to the important point directly.
"I'll cut to the chase - we're not going to renew the contract."
"Can we cut to the chase? What do you actually need?"
Where it comes from
Silent film editing. Early films often had slow, romantic opening scenes before getting to the exciting "chase" sequence audiences wanted. Editors would "cut to the chase" - literally edit directly to the exciting part.
What it signals
Impatience with preamble, or a desire for efficiency. Sometimes it's businesslike and productive; sometimes it can feel abrupt.
A native would say
- "Get to the point" - more direct, can sound rude
- "Bottom line" - "bottom line, we need to act today"
- "In short" - formal way of summarising
- "The short version is..." - kinder introduction to brevity
Register
Professional to casual. Common in business and informal conversation.
What does "cut to the chase" mean?
Skip unnecessary preamble and get to the important point directly.
"I'll cut to the chase - we're not going to renew the contract."
"Can we cut to the chase? What do you actually need?"
Is "cut to the chase" formal or informal?
Professional to casual. Common in business and informal conversation.
What's another way to say "cut to the chase"?
- "Get to the point" - more direct, can sound rude
- "Bottom line" - "bottom line, we need to act today"
- "In short" - formal way of summarising
- "The short version is..." - kinder introduction to brevity
Why do native speakers say "cut to the chase"?
Silent film editing. Early films often had slow, romantic opening scenes before getting to the exciting "chase" sequence audiences wanted. Editors would "cut to the chase" - literally edit directly to the exciting part.
Idioms like this trip up even advanced learners.
LLH Tutor explains English idioms in plain language, personalised to your native language and level.
Save to your vocabulary