NITTY-GRITTY Definition & Meaning

View synonyms for

nitty-gritty

[ nit-ee-grit-ee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the essential substance or details of a matter; basics; crux:
Let's skip the chitchat and get down to the nitty-gritty.

adjective

fundamental, detailed, or probing:
nitty-gritty questions.
direct and practical:
nitty-gritty advice; a nitty-gritty system.

nitty-gritty

/ ˈ��ɪ��ɪˈɡ��ɪ��ɪ /

noun

the nitty-gritty informal.
the basic facts of a matter, situation, etc; the core

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of nitty-gritty¹

An Americanism dating back to 1960–65; rhyming compound of uncertain origin

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of nitty-gritty¹

C20: perhaps rhyming compound formed from grit

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Those are the kind of nitty-gritty things we should talk about up front, because they do make a difference.

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Without further ado, let’s get into the nitty-gritty.

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Talking about the nitty-gritty details of policy is important, but it's not entertaining.

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Other times, the director is super involved and we get into the nitty-gritty about every character.

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Thankfully, for those of us who want the nitty-gritty of what went down, Bravo has renewed the show for a second season — with the entire cast coming back.

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