To cut a long story short...

Meaning

Summarizing a long story concisely.

Examples

• John: I had a terrible experience trying to book a flight online...<b>To cut a long story short</b>, I ended up paying double the price.
• Alice: Oh no! That's frustrating. What happened?
• John: There were so many hidden fees and unexpected charges. <b>To cut a long story short</b>, I finally booked a flight with a travel agent.
• Alice: That’s probably a better way to go next time.