Which phrase is right, "Cut to the chase" or is it "Cut through the chase" and why?

Answer 1

The first one is right. I can't tell you why though, but that's the version I've heard used.

Answer 2

It is "Cut to the chase" which means to get to the point without wasting time.

The phrase probably came from a misreading of "cutting through the chaff" as you need to separate the wheat from the chaff to get at the food. [citation needed]

The phrase may also have originated from early silent films. Such films, particularly comedies, often climaxed in chase scenes. An inexpert screenwriter or director, unsure how to get to the climax, would just make an abrupt transition, known as a cut.

Another possible origin of this phrase comes from the printing industry. Letters were set in a chase, or frame, for printing. If an article or story was too long, the editor had to remove portions, presumably less-important information, and thus "cut to the chase" or cut the story to the size of the frame. Thus, the phrase means to remove non-essentials and leave the important bits.

Answer 3

It's "cut to the chase," my friend. It is a reference to movies. Cut to the chase means fast forward to the good part or get to the pointe already. Cut through the chase - I don't know. It doesn't seem to make sence. How does one cut threw the chase anyway? And where would one be after they had cut through? After the chase? Then you've missed the best part. I can't picture it. It frustrates me so. Makes me want to bite my landlady, or skin a stray cat. Thank you, sir, you are an Easter Island statue. Goodbye!

Answer 4

The former is idiomatically correct. There isn't a particularly complicated reason, it's just the way the phrase goes.

It's probably a reference to medieval/early-modern hunting outings, which generally took all day. The most exciting part was the actual chase, where the men would actively pursue their quarry, but it could take hours of relative tedium before you got to the chase part. Thus, "cut to the chase" generally means to skip a lot of relatively unnecessary preliminaries and get straight to the good stuff.

Answer 5

to me. cut through the chase makes more sense., the chase Is the events before you get to the point and I remember an old movie that did say "through the chase

Answer 6

My understanding is that "cut to the chase" is borrowed from the film industry, where a 'cut' involves changing abruptly to another scene. The 'chase' scene is typically near the end of the film, where the good guy eventually catches the bad guy. Hence, 'cutting to the chase' means skipping past all the middle part's bothersome, time-consuming details, and going directly to the last (important) part.
If you tell me to 'cut to the chase' you obviously mean, "Just get to the point."

Answer 7

Actually, to "cut to the chase" means to get to the point, to explain something more clearly. Cut to the chase comes from the movie industry. Eons ago when directors would say "Cut to the scene".

Answer 8

Cut to the chase

Meaning to get to the point. A movie term from the 1920's, it originally meant to cut from a dramatic scene to an action scene (like a chase).

Answer 9

Cut TO the chase.
It was originally a movie-making term, when the scene went from the ranch to the cowboy chase.

Answer 10

Cut TO the chase, b/c you are getting TO the point, not cutting through it. "chase" in this expression is synonymous w/ "point". Think of it that way.

Answer 11

I've heard 'cut to the chase' I guess meaning
'get to the point,already."