Learn English – “Cutting to the chase”

grammaticalityidioms

I already know that cut to the chase is an idiom. Following is a example sentence

I will cut to the chase.

and it means to get to the point without wasting time. But is it grammatically correct to say:

Cutting to the chase, I am new at this thing

Best Answer

Yes, it's appropriate to use but only after some attempt at a more lengthy explanation or circumlocution. The idiom actually means something akin to "forget all I just said -- let me get to the main point." For example:

I was trying to get to my grandparents' house, and first I took Route 5 but there was too much construction, so I got off the highway and started taking back roads but these were closed with flooding, so I went back to Route 8 and traffic was terrible. Anyway, to cut to the chase, I didn't get there until well after dark.

If you use it without any previous explanation, it implies that there would have been a long story, but you don't want to tell it.

So you want to know how I got this scar? I could tell you all the details ... but, to cut to the chase, it involved a very angry koala.

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