“Cut to the chase” means getting directly to the important point instead of spending time on preliminaries. Film-industry wording such as “cut to chase” is reported from 1929, while the broad figurative “get to the point” sense is documented later; the engine keeps those stages separate.
ReviewedEvidence2 sourcesSectionPhrases & Idioms
Quick answer
It means to get directly to the important point. Phrase-history research reports a 1929 film-script direction “cut to chase,” but the generalized figurative meaning appears later, so the production instruction is treated as a historical precursor rather than automatic proof of the modern idiom.
Key details
Core Meaningget directly to the important point
Modern Registerinformal
Origin Statusfilm-industry precursor documented; generalized figurative development later
Reported Predecessor1929 — “cut to chase” script direction
What the evidence supports
Not established
The exact modern idiom was fully established by the 1929 script direction.
The 1929 wording is relevant film-industry evidence, but specialist research distinguishes it from the later generalized figurative use.
Documented timeline
1929
Film-script direction reported
Phrase Finder reports “Cut to chase” in Hollywood Girl as a film-industry direction.
secondary reportedconfidence: medium
1940s
Generalized figurative use emerges
Phrase Finder reports broader “get to the point” use in the 1940s.
secondary reportedconfidence: medium
Variants
cut to chase
Reported 1929 script-direction wording without the article “the.”
cut to the chase
Modern idiomatic form reflected in current dictionary usage.
Further guidance
Figurative Stage
The same source places broader figurative “get to the point” use in the 1940s, so a production direction and a generalized idiom are not treated as the same evidence event.
Film Industry Stage
Phrase Finder reports the wording “Cut to chase” in Joseph Patrick McEvoy’s 1929 Hollywood Girl as a script direction.
Meaning
Cambridge labels the idiom informal and defines it as dealing with the important part of a subject without wasting time on unimportant material.
Origin boundary
The engine records documented stages without claiming that one surviving citation identifies a unique inventor.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
“Hit the nail on the head” means to identify something exactly or describe the central cause accurately. The expression is centuries old, but the engine separates an ambiguous c.1438 precursor from a clearer 1559 use rather than claiming a single proven invention point.
To “read between the lines” is to infer an unstated or implied meaning from what someone says or writes. A documented secondary history points to print use by 1862, but the engine does not label that occurrence the absolute first.
“Cut corners” is a disapproving idiom for taking an easier, cheaper, or faster route by omitting work or detail so the result may suffer. This guide publishes that modern meaning without inventing a precise origin date.
“A dime a dozen” is a chiefly US idiom for something very common, easy to find, and not especially distinctive. The wording can carry a dismissive tone when it suggests that something is readily replaceable.
“A drop in the bucket” describes an amount that is very small compared with what is needed or compared with a much larger whole. Cambridge labels it as the US form and gives “a drop in the ocean” as the UK counterpart.
“A leopard can’t change its spots” is a saying about the persistence of character, especially negative traits. Cambridge also records the “doesn’t change its spots” form. This guide limits the page to present-day form and meaning rather than asserting an unsupported exact origin date.
“A Needle in a Haystack” means something that is extremely difficult or effectively impossible to find because the search area is so large. This guide focuses on the documented modern idiomatic meaning and does not claim an unsupported exact origin date.
