What expression should I use after I have digressed and I want to continue with what I was talking about initially?
Solution 1:
A variant on the more common expression, cut back to the chase is also in reasonably common use according to internet searches. As the original metaphor is so widely known, the variant is transparent.
Supporting references for the original are easily obtained, for instance this from Wikipedia:
"Cut to the chase" is a phrase that means to get to the point without wasting time.
The saying originated from early film studios' silent films. It was a favorite of, and thought to have been coined by, Hal Roach Sr.
An example of the 'return to original topic' discourse connector, from critic Mary Wakefield writing at The Spectator in 2017 {on a Patricia Cornwell publication} :
18 Mar 2017 – Cornwell herself is keen, in a polite but determined way, to move from Scarpetta to the Ripper, so we cut back to the chase.
It doesn't have quite the 'Let's stop beating about the bush' / 'Let's stop wasting time in digressions' / 'Let's get back to the point' senses or at least strong hints that some other re-orientation discourse connectors have.
I'd not use 'anyway', 'but I digress' or 'enough of that' in most contexts, as perhaps also hinting that the digression (which might have been at least as important as the main topic) was rather capricious. Unless I'm admitting I had been being a little self-indulgent. And I feel 'back to topic' has a flavour of 'I tend to be a little abstracted'.