«قَطْعُهْ وَلَا نَحْتُهْ»

The saying prefers a clean break to a slow grind. The unstated 'it' is simply the talk or quarrel at hand. Ending a soured dispute at once does less harm than stretching it out, as one decisive cut finishes a job that endless piece-by-piece chipping would only drag on.

It also warns against piling up justifications. Once excuses will neither be believed nor change anything, offering more only prolongs the quarrel tediously. The wording sets cutting against whittling as a preference, not a simple refusal: the wiser course is to stop talking and let the matter close.

Suitable when an argument or exchange of blame has stalled and one side keeps offering explanations nobody will accept. Saying it urges everyone to drop the matter outright rather than whittle it out further. It suits a firm, closing remark more than a gentle suggestion.