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back-to-basics

[bak-tuh-bey-siks]
adjective
  1. stressing simplicity and adherence to fundamental principles: The movement suggests a back-to-basics approach to living for those whose lives have become complicated.
  2. emphasizing or based upon the teaching of such basic subjects as reading, arithmetic, grammar, or history in a traditional way.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Idioms and Phrases with back to basics

back to basics

Back to fundamental principles, as in The plans are much too elaborate; to stay in our budget we have to get back to basics. At first this term was used mainly for schooling that stresses proficiency in reading, writing, and mathematics (also see three R's), but it quickly was transferred to other areas. [1970s]

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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.