the long and the short of it
the executive summary
TRANSLATION
the long and short of it = der Hauptpunkt, im Wesentlichen, kurz gesagt, langer Rede kurzer Sinn
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT is, managers need more risk.
E-financialnews
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THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT Researchers found when the ants performed both the outward and homeward-bound journeys with manipulated legs, they judged the nest-distance almost exactly, suggesting that stride-length was the key factor.
BBC News Report
Did you
know?
the long and short of it
idiomatic phrase
Something you say when you want to explain the general situation without giving details.
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
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WORD ORIGIN
The phrase dates back to the 1500s and can be found in Shakespeare's The Merry Wives Of Windsor:
MISTRESS QUICKLY: Marry, this is the short and the long of it; you have brought her into such a canaries* as 'tis wonderful. The best courtier of them all, when the court lay at Windsor, could never have brought her to such a canary*.
*canary = a very difficult situation (quandary, deadlock, dilemma)
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SYNONYMS
gist, crux, heart of the matter, the bottom line, in essence, in summary, the upshot, the thrust, the substance
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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation, say something like:
“THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT is, we need a new strategy for Asia.”
