get down to the nitty-gritt

The phrase "get down to the nitty-gritty" means to focus on the most important or fundamental aspects of a situation. It is often used to indicate a shift from casual conversation to discussing the specifics of a topic. For example, in a meeting, one might say, "Let's get down to the nitty-gritty" to signal that it's time to address the core issues at hand.
The Free Dictionary

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es·sen·tial
[;;sen(t)SH(;)l]
noun
essentials (plural noun)
a thing that is absolutely necessary:
"we had only the bare essentials in the way of gear"
(essentials)
the fundamental elements or characteristics of something:
"he was quick to grasp the essentials of an opponent's argument"
Origin
Middle English (in the sense ‘in the highest degree’): from late Latin essentialis, from Latin essentia (see essence).

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Gritty humor


Gritty Puns
A list of puns related to "Gritty"

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gritty
adjective
grit·;ty ;gri-t;
grittier; grittiest
Synonyms of gritty
1
: containing or resembling grit
2
: courageously persistent : plucky
a gritty heroine
3
: having strong qualities of tough uncompromising realism
a gritty novel
grittily
;gri-t;-l;
 adverb
grittiness
;gri-t;-n;s
 noun


Did you know?
Gritty comes from grit ("small hard granules"), which in turn derives, via Middle English, from an Old English word for "sand" or "gravel." Grit has been around since before the 12th century, but the first appearance of gritty in print in English was near the end of the 16th century, when it was used in the sense of "resembling or containing small hard granules." Grit entered American slang with the meaning "courage or persistence" in the early 19th century, and gritty followed suit with a corresponding "plucky" sense. By the 19th century's end, gritty was also being used to describe a literary style that was rough and coarse.

Examples of gritty in a Sentence
I admire her gritty determination to succeed.
The book describes the gritty realities of life on the streets.
He gave us all of the gritty details of his divorce.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That’s the crux of the case made by Empire Skate, which traces the global influence of the gritty New York City skateboarding scene that emerged in the early- to-mid-‘90s.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 26 June 2025
Everything about his experiences growing up in the ’80s and ’90s tells him that what’s missing might be grittier than a polished package.
—Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 June 2025
Dort was also instrumental with his defensive IQ, gritty rebounding efforts, and rainbow jumpers as the shot clock expired.
—Shane Young, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
The album's pop friendly productions blended with Springsteen's gritty vocals brought Heartland rock to a wider audience.
—Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 24 June 2025
Word History
Etymology
grit entry 1 + -y entry 1

First Known Use
1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of gritty was in 1598
See more words from the same year
Phrases Containing gritty
get down to the nitty-gritty
nitty-gritty
the nitty-gritty

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The phrase "get down to the nitty-gritty" means to focus on the most important or fundamental aspects of a situation. It is often used to indicate a shift from casual conversation to discussing the specifics of a topic. For example, in a meeting, one might say, "Let's get down to the nitty-gritty" to signal that it's time to address the core issues at hand.
The Free Dictionary