get to the bottom of

1. Find the basic underlying quality or cause of something. For example, He was determined to get to the bottom of the problem. [Late 1700s] Also see at bottom.

Example Sentences

We have had to to get to the bottom of the list to find the only player who can be considered to have truly lived up to his price tag.

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“When you get to the bottom of an escalator, if you stop there and stand and look around, everybody’s coming down behind you. So you got to keep moving.”

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The minister told MPs she had written to WMP to "get to the bottom" of the claims, and that the Home Office had asked His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services to carry out a wider investigation into how safety assessments were carried out.

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But the Committee didn't get to the bottom of the accuracy of his claim about systemic problems in the way the BBC works.

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“Somebody had to get to the bottom of it.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• delve 
• explore 
• fathom 
• penetrate 
• unravel