meat-and-potatoes
or meat-and-po·ta·to
[ meet-n-puh-tey-tohz, -tuh z ]
/ ˈmit n pəˈteɪ toʊz, -təz /
adjective Informal.
fundamental; down-to-earth; basic: What are the meat-and-potatoes issues of the election?
Words nearby meat-and-potatoes
meat house, meat loaf, meat packing, meat tea, meat wagon, meat-and-potatoes, meat-ax, meatal, meataxe, meatball, meath
Origin of meat-and-potatoes
First recorded in 1945–50
Definition for meat-and-potatoes (2 of 2)
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. 2020
Examples from the Web for meat-and-potatoes
Think of what a meat-and-potatoes Democrat like Ed Rendell would do in the job.
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|DAILY BEAST
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]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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