🗓️ Idiom: Cut to the Chase (verb phrase)
💬 Meaning
- To skip small details and focus on the main point.
- To speak directly about what is important.
🧠 Example Sentences
- Let’s cut to the chase and talk about the contract terms.
- She cut to the chase and explained the key problem.
- The presentation was long, but finally he cut to the chase.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom comes from early Hollywood silent films. Chase scenes were the most exciting part, so filmmakers used “cut to the chase” as a way of saying skip the boring parts and go straight to the action. It later became common in everyday conversation for getting directly to the point.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
“Instead of talking about background details, let’s __________ to the chase.”
Answer
cut
2. Multiple choice:
What does “cut to the chase” mean?
a) To start running in a movie scene
b) To move directly to the important part
c) To avoid making a decision
Answer
b) To move directly to the important part
3. Change the sentence using “cut to the chase”:
She quickly explained the most important point of the discussion.
Answer
She quickly cut to the chase.
ℹ️ Other Useful Pages
📚 Learning Resources
👉 Main Idioms Page
👉 Idioms for Communication
👥 Support Spaces
👉 Student Space
👉 Tutor Toolkit
⭐️ Extras
Rob is a CELTA qualified English teacher with 15 years of international experience. He has a BSc and PGDip from Loughborough and St Andrews universities in the UK. He has taught in Thailand and Saudi Arabia and now works with professionals worldwide.
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