meɪk ə lɒŋ ˈstɔːri ʃɔːrt
General
informal
beginner
- Literally:
- To shorten a lengthy narrative
What does "make a long story short" mean?
- To summarize or get to the point
- To skip unnecessary details and give the conclusion
Examples
- To make a long story short, we missed the flight.
- Long story short, they got married.
- To make a long story short, the project was cancelled.
Origin
A common conversational device to signal that one is about to cut a lengthy explanation short and get to the key point.
How to use it
Often introduces a summary after a buildup. Can be used to skip boring details.
Similar expressions
in brief
in short
to summarize
cut to the chase
Opposites
to elaborate
in detail
at length
Related idioms
- actions speak louder than words
What people do is more important than what they say
- better safe than sorry
It's better to be careful and prevent problems than to take risks
- so far so good
Things have gone well up to now
- easier said than done
Something is more difficult to do than to talk about
- to make matters worse
In addition to existing problems
- rule of thumb
A practical principle or guideline
Use it in a practice answer
Try "make a long story short" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.