cutting to the chase
Getting directly there
Cutting to the chase means getting to the point without preamble or delay.
The phrase comes from early film editing, where directors would cut from slower scenes to the exciting chase sequence.
Now it signals impatience with buildup: Let me cut to the chase—we're letting you go.
Often appears as an imperative: Cut to the chase, what do you want?
- concisenessQuality of being brief
- clarityState of being understandable
- prioritizationRanking by importance
- directnessQuality of being straightforward
- straight talkHonest, direct communication
efficiency · time is money · streamlining · brevity · long story short · organization · elimination · cut the crap · discernment · pragmatism · meat and potatoes · succinctness · editing · climax · pacing · no-nonsense · bluntness · execution
cutting to the chasebeating around the bush
Avoiding direct communication
rambling · meandering · hemming and hawing · circumlocution · digressing
cutting to the chasedawdling
Leisurely time-wasting
prolonging · drawing out · taking one's time · overthinking · overcomplicating
cutting to the chaseprocrastinating
Postponing what needs doing
delaying · dawdling · taking one's time · dilly-dallying · foot-dragging
cutter, cutters, cutting, cuttings, chase, chases, chased, chasing, chaser