cut to the chase: meaning and explanation
to cut to the chase = to go directly to the main or most important point or issue without spending time on anything else.
This can be useful when someone is telling us something in an inefficient way and we want them to hurry up, but bear in mind that this is quite a direct phrase and should be used carefully. e.g. Can you cut to the chase? I’ve got a meeting in 5 minutes.
We can also use this phrase to explicitly tell people that we are not going to waste time and will get straight to the main point. This is useful when giving important or bad news (as the first micro-dictation) – in such situations, it is often better to be frank and direct.
Have a go at these micro-dictation exercises to hear this expression being used in context – how much can you understand?
Listening exercises
Micro-listening #1
Accent: North America
About the sentence
…they’re pulling the plug on our department…
You can find an exercise to practise this expression here.
Micro-listening #2
Accent: Ireland
About the sentence
…a word of advice…
a word of advice is an useful way to introduce a suggestion or a piece of advice to someone. This is often used when the advice is being given in a quiet or discreet way. e.g. A word of advice – don’t mention the meeting yesterday. It didn’t go well.
Micro-listening #3
Accent: Australia
About the sentence
…without laying any groundwork…
to lay the groundwork = to do the necessary preparations which will help you to achieve your objective. e.g. We’ve been laying the groundwork for our entry into the South American market for several years.
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