get at the heart of the matter
To determine, discover, or explore the essential, core, or most important aspect of the issue at hand. It's a complicated situation, but our investigation will get at the heart of the matter. Sadly, the film wastes time with tired clichés about what it means to be human instead of getting at the heart of the matter. The politician's new book about the crisis gets to the heart of the matter of what went wrong.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.