Legal Writing

Cut To The Chase

By Sharon

Cut to the chase is a common expression, meaning get to the point. It’s an exhortation to omit flowery phrases and unnecessary preamble and focus on the core issue. This expression first appeared in newspapers in the 1940s, though it has an older origin in the American film industry.

In the era of silent film, a romantic love story often ended in a thrilling chase sequence, which was the most exciting part of the film. At that time ‘cut to chase’ was a script direction indicating that the chase was next in the sequence of events. One example cited is in the novel Hollywood Girl by Joseph McEvoy, where a character gives the script direction: ‘Jannings escapes; cut to chase’.

Cut To The Chase

Full post as published by Daily Writing Tips on July 24, 2008 (boomark / email).