Talk is cheap

Let's cut to the chase, I'm between a rock & a hard place, & I've bent over backwards, come hell or high water. It's curiosity that killed the cat (and now I've let the cat out of the bag). So, if I can't cut the mustard, & I've bit off more than I can chew, I'm out on a limb, going for broke, or barking up the wrong tree! So, off the record, out of the blue, on the fence & down to the wire - I'm off the hook!