bedrock issue
A topic or issue of sole, central, or fundamental importance. In geology, "bedrock" is the solid rock that lies underneath loose material like gravel or sand. When it comes to what voters care about most, the health of the economy will always be the bedrock issue. Reliable access to clean water is a bedrock issue for this rural community. Until that can be addressed, everything else is of second importance. Everyone should see their health as a bedrock issue. If you don't have your health, then what do you have?
down to bedrock
Focused on the most important aspects of a particular situation. Often used in the phrase "get down to bedrock." Let's get down to bedrock so that everyone has a good grasp on the project overall before we split up to do our separate parts. Don't get overwhelmed with this case, just get down to bedrock. Please get down to bedrock, OK? We don't need all the extraneous details you included with last month's report.
get down to bedrock
To focus on the most important aspects of a particular situation. Let's get down to bedrock so that everyone has a good grasp on the project overall before we split up to do our separate parts. Don't get overwhelmed with this case, just get down to bedrock. Please get down to bedrock, OK? We don't need all the extraneous details you included with last month's report.
get down to brass tacks
To focus on the most important aspects of a particular situation. Let's get down to brass tacks so that everyone has a good grasp on the project overall before we split up to do our separate parts. Don't get overwhelmed with this case, just get down to brass tacks. Please get down to brass tacks, OK? We don't need all the extraneous details you included with last month's report.
get down to it
To focus on the most important aspects of something. I know you want to see the best in David, but when you get down to it, he's a liar—he always has been. When you get down to it, life is about making choices. When you get down to it, your health determines your quality of life, so you better prioritize it.
get down to the nitty-gritty
To become focused on the most important or fundamental aspects of a particular situation. The manager always likes to begin the weekly meetings with an informal discussion before getting down to the nitty-gritty. We eventually got down to the nitty-gritty and came up with a solution. We don't need all the extraneous details you included with last month's report. Just get down to the nitty-gritty.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
get down to brass tacks
Fig. to begin to talk about important things; to get down to business. Let's get down to brass tacks. We've wasted too much time chatting. Don't you think that it's about time to get down to brass tacks?
get down to the nitty-gritty
to get down to the basic facts. Stop messing around and get down to the nitty-gritty. If we could only get down to the nitty-gritty and stop wasting time.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
get down to brass tacks
Also,
get down to bedrock or the nitty gritty or cases . Deal with the essentials; come to the point. For example,
Stop delaying and get down to brass tacks, or
We really need to get down to bedrock, or
He has a way of getting down to the nitty gritty, or
Let's get down to cases. The origin of the first phrase, dating from the late 1800s, is disputed. Some believe it alludes to the brass tacks used under fine upholstery, others that it is Cockney rhyming slang for "hard facts," and still others that it alludes to tacks hammered into a sales counter to indicate precise measuring points. The noun
bedrock has signified the hard rock underlying alluvial mineral deposits since about 1850 and has been used figuratively to denote "bottom" since the 1860s. The noun
nitty-gritty dates from the mid-1900s and alludes to the detailed ("nitty") and possibly unpleasant ("gritty") issue in question. The noun
cases apparently alludes to the game of faro, in which the "case card" is the last of a rank of cards remaining in play; this usage dates from about 1900. Also see
to the point.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
get down to brass tacks
If people get down to brass tacks, they begin to discuss the basic, most important aspects of a situation. To get down to brass tacks, what I want to know is, do you know anything at all about her mother's side of the family? Note: The usual explanation for this expression is that in Cockney rhyming slang `brass tacks' are facts.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012