That sounds like something Whiskers-on-the-moon would say, but I don't remember for sure. What about this, Marianna? Could your quote be a rephrasing of this, maybe?
the long and short of it(n) :the brief result or end of a matter; upshot. _The long and short of it was that they've moved to Japan.
This is from:
http://www.geocities.com/informalenglish/L.html

I want to list where I found that, but first, a warning: to all those who are prone to dictionary-browsing--don't go here if you need to get off your computer soon. One of the more unusual listings is: English, as She is Spoke at McMurdo - a guide to slang and jargon of the Antarctic.
http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/links.htm