nitty gritty
Heart of matters
Nitty gritty refers to the essential, practical details of a matter—the core substance beneath surface considerations: Let's get down to the nitty gritty.
The phrase often appears with "get down to," suggesting a move from preliminaries to what really matters.
It originated in African American English and became widespread by the mid-20th century.
- real-worldExisting in physical reality
- down to earthRealistic and practical
- specificsExact details of something
- intricaciesComplex inner workings
- hands-onInvolving direct physical engagement
ground level · essence · minutiae · foundation · granularity · substance · particulars · brass tacks · bedrock · fundamentals · kernel · crux · nuts and bolts · hard facts · bare bones · actionable · heart · real deal
- rhyming reduplicativesflip flop, hip hop, tip top, zigzag, ping pong
- Business Talkmeeting, agenda, deadline, goals, priorities
- getting organizedget organized, in order, put in place, straighten up, tidy up
- detailsdetail, particular, specific, fact, point
nitty grittyoverview
Broad general summary
big picture · broad strokes · generalities · bird's-eye view · summary
nitty grittytheory
Explanatory set of principles
abstraction · abstractions · generalization · conceptual framework · philosophy