Englishget to the point
Meaning: To speak or write concisely and directly.
Example: “Please get to the point; the meeting ends in five minutes.”
Origin: "The point" of an argument or a story is its essential core, the one thing that actually matters once everything decorative or incidental is stripped away — a sense already established in English by the 1600s. One proposed root for "getting" the point specifically reaches for archery, where hitting a target's bullseye was described as "getting the point," landing exactly where it counted rather than somewhere nearby. Whether or not the archery link is the true source, the general cultural instinct behind the phrase is old and widespread: oral communication in earlier eras, without recordings or easy repetition, put a premium on stating the essential matter clearly and quickly rather than burying it in unnecessary detail.
More English idioms
- get something down pat To do something repeatedly until one knows how to do it without a mistake; to perfect an…
- the gift of gab The ability to speak easily and well.
- give in To surrender.
- give someone a hard time To be difficult with someone; to give someone unnecessary difficulty.
- give someone a piece of one's mind To confront someone who has behaved badly.
- give someone a ring To call someone on the telephone.
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- Tu as la tête sur les épaules You're grounded, sensible, and dependable — not easily swept off course.
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- Tu es un as You're brilliant at what you do — the very best.
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