cut to the chase

Idioms

Get to the point, get on with it, as in We don't have time to go into that, so let's cut to the chase. This usage alludes to editing (cutting) film so as to get to the exciting chase scene in a motion picture. [Slang; 1920s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

At the news conference following that meeting, Powell cut to the chase before even taking questions, volunteering that a December rate cut wasn’t a foregone conclusion.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025

You know, if you just kinda cut to the chase, tell them what it is, because a lot of times people aren’t sure where they know me from.

From Salon • Apr. 29, 2025

Sensing where things were headed, I cut to the chase.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2024

To cut to the chase for how long you should leave it, Dr Bloomfield says "a sensible amount would be at least once a week".

From BBC • Sep. 9, 2023

We were, I sensed, going to cut to the chase.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023