meat-and-potatoes

or meat-and-po·ta·to

[meet-n-puh-tey-tohz, -tuh z]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR meat-and-potatoes ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Informal.

fundamental; down-to-earth; basic: What are the meat-and-potatoes issues of the election?

Origin of meat-and-potatoes

First recorded in 1945–50

meat and potatoes

noun (used with a singular or plural verb) Informal.

the essential or basic part: Community service is the meat and potatoes of this program.

Origin of meat and potatoes

probably earlier than 1950–55

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for meat-and-potatoes

profound, necessary, key, integral, needed, fundamental, indispensable, crucial, urgent, important, imperative, critical, significant, basic, decisive, meaningful, major, paramount, constitutional, elemental

Examples from the Web for meat-and-potatoes

Contemporary Examples of meat-and-potatoes

Think of what a meat-and-potatoes Democrat like Ed Rendell would do in the job.
The Truth About Obama-Era Inequality
Stuart Stevens
December 5, 2013
A meat-and-potatoes Democrat like Ed Rendell would make jobs and the economy the true top priority of his administration.
Poverty Plagues Obama’s America, Press Based in Booming Cities Shrugs
Stuart Stevens
April 9, 2013

Idioms and Phrases with meat-and-potatoes

meat and potatoes

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]