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• meat and potatoes
  meat and potatoes

  noun

  the essential or basic part.
• meat-and-potatoes
  meat-and-potatoes

  adjective

  fundamental; down-to-earth; basic.

meat and potatoes

¹ American  

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

1. the essential or basic part.

   Community service is the meat and potatoes of this program.

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meat-and-potatoes ² American  

[meet-n-puh-tey-tohz, -tuhz] / ˈmit n pəˈteɪ toʊz, -təz /

Or meat-and-potato

adjective

Informal.

1. fundamental; down-to-earth; basic.

   What are the meat-and-potatoes issues of the election?

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meat and potatoes Idioms  

1. The fundamental part or parts of something, as in This paragraph is the meat and potatoes of the contract. This metaphoric term transfers what some regard as basic fare to the basics of an issue. [Mid-1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of meat and potatoes¹

Probably earlier than 1950–55

Origin of meat-and-potatoes²

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

"Staples like bread, meat and potatoes all cost more than they did even a month ago," says Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at investment platform AJ Bell.

From BBC • Nov. 19, 2025

I’d like to move on to a few questions about sort of the meat and potatoes issues that you touched on earlier.

From Salon • Jun. 18, 2025

There’s the satisfying meat and potatoes of exploration at Castle Ensis, with vertiginous balustrades and winding ramparts that cross over and under themselves in impossible architectural configurations.

From New York Times • Jun. 18, 2024

Pairing it with a simple side of partially mashed chickpeas will satisfy that meat and potatoes guy in your life for Father’s Day.

From Washington Times • Jun. 14, 2023

“But I get hungry for meat and potatoes later.”

From "Shiloh" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor