root of the matter

1. The essential part or cause of something, as in We still don't understand what happened; we must get to the root of the matter. This expression was first recorded in the Bible (Job 19:28).

Example Sentences

“Ah! here I reach the root of the matter. He wanted you to marry him?”

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I’m not seeing how any of these low-hanging cuts get to the root of the matter.

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“That would be the benefit of an actual investigation conducted by the FBI. We don’t see how you can get to the root of the matter without that.”

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“It’s that slow, Alabama drawl that he has, but he gets right down to the root of the matter and he’s a practical, solutions-driven kind of manager, so what you see is what you get. He’s an operator’s dream.”

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To get to the root of the matter, we’ll need to take a trip back in time.

Read more on The Guardian