Meanings
present singular third person cuts to the chase · participle present cutting to the chase
- idiomaticTo get to the point; to get on with it; to state something directly.
We don't have much time here. Could you cut to the chase?
1 more example
Allen Gregory DeLongpre: I don't like to play games, the whole wait three days to text you, flirt with other women in front of you. It's exhausting. Let's just cut to the chase. We're in love with each other.
2011 Allen Gregory, "Pilot" (season 1, episode 1)Synonyms: cut to Hecuba, get on with it, get to the point
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo get to the point; to get on with it; to state something directly.
Origin
From cinema usage: to cut (edit a film) so as to get to the exciting part. Also, preceded by Chaucer c.1400, "The Wife of Bath's Tale"- "And shortly forth this tale for to chace" (To cut a long story short).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Danish komme til sagen
- komme til sagento get to the point
Dutch ter zake komen, met de deur in huis vallen
- ter zake komento get to the point
- met de deur in huis vallento get to the point
Finnish mennä asiaan
- mennä asiaanto get to the point
French aller droit au but, aller à l'essentiel
- aller droit au butto get to the point
- aller à l'essentielto get to the point
German auf den Punkt kommen, Butter bei die Fische
- auf den Punkt kommento get to the point
- Butter bei die Fischeto get to the point
Greek μπαίνω στο ψητό
- μπαίνω στο ψητό (baíno sto psitó)to get to the point
Hungarian a lényegre tér
- a lényegre térto get to the point
Italian andare al sodo, venire al sodo
- andare al sodoto get to the point
- venire al sodoto get to the point
- venire al dunqueto get to the point
Korean 거두절미(去頭截尾)하다
- 거두절미(去頭截尾)하다 (geodujeolmihada)to get to the point
Norwegian komme til poenget
- komme til poengetto get to the point
Polish przechodzić do rzeczy, przejść do rzeczy
- przechodzić do rzeczyto get to the point
- przejść do rzeczyto get to the point
Portuguese ir direto ao ponto, ir direto ao assunto
- ir direto ao pontoto get to the point
- ir direto ao assuntoto get to the point
Romanian trece la subiect
- trece la subiectto get to the point
Russian перейти́ к де́лу
- перейти́ к де́лу (perejtí k délu)to get to the point
Spanish ir al grano, ir al ajo del asunto
- ir al granoto get to the point
- ir al ajo del asuntoto get to the point
- ir al meolloto get to the point
- acortar envitesto get to the point
- ahorrar envitesto get to the point
- parar de dar vueltasto get to the point
- dejar de dar vueltasto get to the point
Swedish komma till saken
- komma till sakento get to the point
Turkish sadede gelmek
- sadede gelmekto get to the point
Ukrainian перейти до справи, перейти до суті
- перейти до справи (perejty do spravy)to get to the point
- перейти до суті (perejty do suti)to get to the point
Cite this entry
cut to the chase. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cut%20to%20the%20chase
“cut to the chase.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cut%20to%20the%20chase. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cut to the chase,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cut%20to%20the%20chase.
Source: cut to the chase on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.