(idiomatic)Introducing a short version of, or simply the conclusion of, a relevant story.
Anyway, long story short, I totally screwed up today.
1981, “To Cut a Long Story Short”, in Journeys to Glory, performed by Spandau Ballet:
Sitting on a park bench / Years away from fighting / Ah, to cut a long story short, I lost my mind
1994, Eric Bogosian, Pounding Nails in the Floor With My Forehead, Theatre Communications Group, →ISBN, page 40:
So anyway, long story short . . . Kenny was always gambling. And six years ago, he bought this lottery ticket and he won. Not much. A million bucks. After taxes, that’s like five hundred thousand dollars. I’m thinking party time.
1999, Dennis Hensley, Misadventures in the (213)[1], HarperCollins, →ISBN, page 74:
“So long story short,” Damon continues, obviously enjoying his newfound status as Magic Kingdom iconoclast, “it got back to the director what I did and then it went all the way to [Michael] Eisner’s office. […]”
2005 March 1, “My Best Laid Plans”, in Scrubs, season 4, episode 19 (television production), spoken by Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins):
Long story short, I'm on the hook for sending Trong Tri Kelso to college and he doesn't want to go to a state school.
