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nitty-gritty

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nit⋅ty-grit⋅ty

  [nit-ee-grit-ee] Slang.
Use nitty-gritty in a Sentence
–noun
1. the essential substance or details of a matter; basics; crux: Let's skip the chitchat and get down to the nitty-gritty.
–adjective
2. fundamental, detailed, or probing: nitty-gritty questions.
3. direct and practical: nitty-gritty advice; a nitty-gritty system.
Origin:
1960–65, Americanism; rhyming compound of uncert. orig.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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nit·ty-grit·ty   (nĭt'ē-grĭt'ē)   
n.   Informal
The specific or practical details; the heart of a matter.

[Origin unknown.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
nitty-gritty [ˈnɪdi ˈgrɪdi]

  1. n.
    the essence; the essential points. (Usually in get down to the nitty-gritty.) : Once we are down to the nitty-gritty, we can begin to sort things out.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

nitty-gritty 
"basic facts," 1961, knitty-gritty, Amer.Eng., said to have been chiefly used by black jazz musicians, perhaps ult. from nit and grits "finely ground corn."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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