nitty-gritty
[nit-ee-grit-ee]Slang.
- 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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- fundamental, detailed, or probing: nitty-gritty questions.
- direct and practical: nitty-gritty advice; a nitty-gritty system.
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Origin of nitty-gritty
An Americanism dating back to 1960–65; rhyming compound of uncertain origin
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
kernel, substance, gist, core, fundamentals, essence, focus, reality, heart, quintessence, basics, soul, root, meatExamples from the Web for nitty-gritty
Contemporary Examples
The dramatic popularization of a phrase like “nitty-gritty” demonstrates that language is always changing across social contexts.
In terms of the nitty-gritty of writing, George brings the skill set of being able to get it out on paper pretty quickly.
It gives a pleasant sense of transgression, of really being in the nitty-gritty.
But have you heard about the actual 60 minutes of nitty-gritty playtime?
Webb was never wild about some of the nitty-gritty aspects of elected office and was not a very assiduous fundraiser.
nitty-gritty
- the nitty-gritty informal the basic facts of a matter, situation, etc; the core
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Word Origin
C20: perhaps rhyming compound formed from grit
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for nitty-gritty
n.
"basic facts," 1961, knitty-gritty, American English, said to have been chiefly used by black jazz musicians, perhaps ultimately from nit and grits "finely ground corn." As an adjective from 1966.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper