heart of the matter
Core of issue
The heart of the matter is the central or most important point of an issue, stripped of distractions and secondary concerns.
Getting to the heart of the matter means cutting through complexity to address what truly matters: Let's skip the formalities and get to the heart of the matter.
The phrase implies that issues have essential cores worth identifying.
- bottom lineEssential point or conclusion
- cruxMost important point
- kernelSeed or essential core
- nitty-grittyEssential practical details
- nuts and boltsEssential practical details
core · nub · nucleus · focal point · key point · essence · real deal · point · root · root cause · marrow · pivot · center · nexus · gist · long and short · significance · pith
- Get to the Pointcut to the chase, bottom line, in a nutshell, spit it out, long story short
- body metaphorsbackbone, blind spot, gut feeling, headache, heartbeat
heart of the matterperiphery
Boundary or outer region
side issue · tangent · minor detail · irrelevancy · triviality
heart of the mattersurface
Outermost boundary layer
superficialities · beating around the bush · superficiality · window dressing · veneer
heart, matter, hearty, hearts, maturity, lighthearted, wholehearted, materialize, disheartened