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sum and substance

SEE SYNONYMS FOR sum and substance ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

main idea, gist, or point: the sum and substance of an argument.

Content related to sum and substance

10 Quotes That Perfectly Sum-Up RejectionRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
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10 Quotes That Perfectly Sum-Up RejectionRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

Words related to sum and substance

rundown, rehash, sketch, outline, essence, review, analysis, synopsis, version, survey, recap, prospectus, core, profit, reality, crux, income, summation, skeleton, abstract

Words nearby sum and substance

sulu, sulu archipelago, sulu sea, sulzberger, sum, sum and substance, sum total, sum up, sum-, sum-up, sumac

Origin of sum and substance

First recorded in 1585–95
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Idioms and Phrases with sum and substance

sum and substance

The essence or gist of something, as in The sum and substance of their platform is financial conservatism. This redundant expression—both sum and substance here mean “essence”—has probably survived owing to alliteration. Shakespeare used it in The Two Gentlemen of Verona (4:1): “My riches are these poor habiliments [clothes], Of which if you should here disfurnish me, You take the sum and substance that I have.”

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.