Long and short of it

The speaker talked at length about the importance of good spoken English skills but the long and short of it was that to be successful you really need to be able to communicate well.

The long and short of the PM’s speach was that increasing petrol prices is important to save the country

Long and short of it – It is a fairly common English phrase which is essentially a stylized way of saying, the main point or the summary of what was said. Thus, when you say, the long and short of something – you are stressing the most important point, the gist of a statement.

Let’s take some examples:

1. The PM gave a long address to the nation but the long and short of it was that in the current difficult economic conditions, some tough decisions had to be taken and one of them has been to increase petrol prices.
2. The long and short of the dean’s address was that attendance, good behavior and focus on academics are most important things in this college. He also implied that those who do not live upto the high standards of the college will be shown the door.

Use “long and short of” whenever you want to pinpoint the main message. Some more examples:

1. The long and short of the coach’s speech was that it was the most important moment of their lives and they had to play hard and play as a team to achieve glory.
2. It was long and boring documentary and the long and short of it was that one should always speak the truth and not steal.
3. It is a biased and one dimensional book on naxal problem and the long and short of it is that all naxalites are innocent tribals and the policemen who die fighting them do not deserve any sympathy. The writer fails to understand the complexity of the problem and does not even recognize the horrible massacres perpetrated by Maoists armed with latest automatic weapons.