nitty-gritty

[nit-ee-grit-ee]Slang.

See more 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.

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 for nitty-gritty

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

Examples from the Web for nitty-gritty

Contemporary Examples of nitty-gritty

The dramatic popularization of a phrase like “nitty-gritty” demonstrates that language is always changing across social contexts.
Feminist, Bae, Turnt: Time’s ‘Worst Words’ List Is Sexist and Racist
Samantha Allen
November 13, 2014
In terms of the nitty-gritty of writing, George brings the skill set of being able to get it out on paper pretty quickly.
Grant Heslov Is the Robin to George Clooney’s Batman
Andrew Romano
February 7, 2014
It gives a pleasant sense of transgression, of really being in the nitty-gritty.
‘Stupid Enough to Pay’: Tim Parks’s Italian Rail Adventures
Tim Parks
June 23, 2013
But have you heard about the actual 60 minutes of nitty-gritty playtime?
What Time is the Super Bowl?
Ilana Glazer
February 3, 2013
Webb was never wild about some of the nitty-gritty aspects of elected office and was not a very assiduous fundraiser.
Olympia Snowe, Jim Webb, Ben Nelson, More Moderate Retiring Senators
Ben Jacobs
February 29, 2012

British Dictionary definitions for nitty-gritty

nitty-gritty

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

Word Origin and History for nitty-gritty

"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.