gritty

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?

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.

to start talking about the basic facts of a situation Let's get down to brass tacks - who's going to pay for all of this?

to start talking about the most important or basic facts of a situation Let's get down to brass tacks. Who's paying for all of this?

the most basic and important facts of something We didn't actually get down to the nitty-gritty (= start to talk about the most important facts) until half way through the meeting.

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.