nitty-gritty

American  

[nit-ee-grit-ee] / ˈnɪt iˈgrɪt i /

noun

1. the essential substance or details of a matter; basics; crux.

   Let's skip the chitchat and get down to the nitty-gritty.

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adjective

1. fundamental, detailed, or probing.

   nitty-gritty questions.

2. direct and practical.

   nitty-gritty advice; a nitty-gritty system.

nitty-gritty British  

/ ˈnɪtɪˈɡrɪtɪ /

noun

1. informal the basic facts of a matter, situation, etc; the core

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Etymology

Origin of nitty-gritty

An Americanism dating back to 1960–65; rhyming compound of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

His advice is to really get into the nitty-gritty of what might go wrong with the vehicle and how much repairs might cost.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026

That meant the type of nitty-gritty negotiations needed to hash out potential structural changes to the sport never got off the ground.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

“Democrats have got to turn the focus and start to appreciate those that are all around this country, that are doing the nitty-gritty day-to-day work, that don’t have all the money,” Bush said.

From Slate • Oct. 23, 2025

"We are not that far apart right now on the deal. In fact, they're negotiating the nitty-gritty of the deal," he said during a confirmation hearing last week.

From BBC • Sep. 16, 2025

In short, they performed the sort of nitty-gritty credit analysis on the mortgage loans that should have been done before the loans were made in the first place.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis