long and the short of it

the long and (the) short of it

The main idea or facts of something. That's the long and the short of it. If you want more details, you'll have to ask Laura. The long and short of it is that Kyle is quitting, so we need to fill his position fast.

See also: and, long, of, short

long and the short of it

 and short and the long of it

Fig. the most important point; the summary of the matter. Jill: Is there some reason that you've spent the last half hour complaining about Fred? Jane: The long and the short of it is, I hate working with him so much that I'm going to resign. Dad keeps saying that he can't spend the rest of his life in mourning for Mother. I finally asked him if he was thinking of getting married again. "That's the long and the short of it," he admitted.

See also: and, long, of, short