nitty-gritty

[ nit-ee-grit-ee ]
/ ˈnɪt iˈgrɪt i /
Slang.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR nitty-gritty ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the essential substance or details of a matter; basics; crux: Let's skip the chitchat and get down to the nitty-gritty.

adjective

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

Words nearby nitty-gritty

nitroxanthic acid, nitryl, nits-and-lice, nitti, nitty, nitty-gritty, nitwit, niu tireni, niue, niuean, niuzhuang
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to nitty-gritty

kernel, substance, gist, core, fundamentals, essence, focus, reality, heart, quintessence, basics, soul, root, meat

Example sentences from the Web for nitty-gritty

British Dictionary definitions for nitty-gritty

nitty-gritty
/ (ˈnɪtɪˈɡrɪtɪ) /

noun

the nitty-gritty informal the basic facts of a matter, situation, etc; the core

Word Origin for nitty-gritty

C20: perhaps rhyming compound formed from grit
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012