getting down to brass tacks
Addressing core matters
Getting down to brass tacks means focusing on the essential facts or practical details of a matter, leaving aside pleasantries or abstractions: Enough small talk—let's get down to brass tacks.
The phrase implies a shift from preliminary discussion to substantive business.
After an hour of introductions, the negotiators finally got down to brass tacks.
- basicsFoundational knowledge of something
- meat and potatoesCore fundamentals of something
- essentialsIndispensable items or elements
- bare bonesMinimal necessary elements
- clarityState of being understandable
implementation · exactness · bottom line · specificity · pragmatism · decisiveness · groundwork · straightforwardness · necessity · real deal · nitty-gritty · nuts and bolts · heart of the matter · breakdown · simplicity · efficiency · cut to the chase · no nonsense
getting down to brass tacksbeating around the bush
Avoiding direct communication
hemming and hawing · meandering · tiptoeing around · dilly-dallying · wasting time
getting down to brass tackssmall talk
Polite trivial conversation
chitchat · pleasantries · idle chatter · shooting the breeze · superficiality
getting down to brass tacksshooting the breeze
Casual, aimless conversation
chitchatting · schmoozing · bantering · chewing the fat · passing the time
getting, downer, downers, brasses, brassy, brassier, brassiest