All nitty-gritty synonyms
nit·ty-grit·ty
N n adj nitty-gritty
- vital — of or relating to life: vital processes.
- meat-and-potatoes — fundamental; down-to-earth; basic: What are the meat-and-potatoes issues of the election?
- namer — a word or a combination of words by which a person, place, or thing, a body or class, or any object of thought is designated, called, or known.
- life-or-death — life-and-death.
noun nitty-gritty
- intendment — Law. the true or correct meaning of something.
- detail — The details of something are its individual features or elements.
- lifeblood — the blood, considered as essential to maintain life: to spill one's lifeblood in war.
- main idea — the most important or central thought of a paragraph or larger section of text, which tells the reader what the text is about: Find the main idea in each paragraph.
- bottom line — The bottom line in a decision or situation is the most important factor that you have to consider.
- workings — Plural form of working.
- foundation — the basis or groundwork of anything: the moral foundation of both society and religion.
- lowdown — the real and unadorned facts; the true, secret, or inside information (usually preceded by the): We gave them the lowdown on the new housing project.
- essence — The intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something, esp. something abstract, that determines its character.
- abc — The ABC of a subject or activity is the parts of it that you have to learn first because they are the most important and basic.
- essential — Absolutely necessary; extremely important.
- meaning — what is intended to be, or actually is, expressed or indicated; signification; import: the three meanings of a word.
- abc's — The ABC's of a subject or activity are the parts of it that you have to learn first because they are the most important and basic.
- crux — The crux of a problem or argument is the most important or difficult part of it which affects everything else.
- facts of life — any aspect of human existence that must be acknowledged or regarded as unalterable: Old age is a fact of life.
- basics — The basics of something are its simplest, most important elements, ideas, or principles, in contrast to more complicated or detailed ones.
- essentials — Plural form of essential.
- factualism — emphasis on, devotion to, or extensive reliance upon facts: the factualism of scientific experiment.
- fundamental — serving as, or being an essential part of, a foundation or basis; basic; underlying: fundamental principles; the fundamental structure.
- fundamentals — serving as, or being an essential part of, a foundation or basis; basic; underlying: fundamental principles; the fundamental structure.
- mechanics — a person who repairs and maintains machinery, motors, etc.: an automobile mechanic.
- grabber — a person or thing that grabs.
- gravamen — the part of an accusation that weighs most heavily against the accused; the substantial part of a charge or complaint.
- certification — a document attesting the truth of a fact or statement
- heart — Anatomy. a hollow, pumplike organ of blood circulation, composed mainly of rhythmically contractile smooth muscle, located in the chest between the lungs and slightly to the left and consisting of four chambers: a right atrium that receives blood returning from the body via the superior and inferior vena cavae, a right ventricle that pumps the blood through the pulmonary artery to the lungs for oxygenation, a left atrium that receives the oxygenated blood via the pulmonary veins and passes it through the mitral valve, and a left ventricle that pumps the oxygenated blood, via the aorta, throughout the body.
- nub — the point, gist, or heart of something.
- first principle — any axiom, law, or abstraction assumed and regarded as representing the highest possible degree of generalization.
- nubbin — a small lump or stunted piece; stub.
- brass tacks — basic realities; hard facts (esp in the phrase get down to brass tacks)
- quiddity — the quality that makes a thing what it is; the essential nature of a thing.
- circumstantiality — the quality of being circumstantial
adjective nitty-gritty
- nubber — (baseball) A batted ball that travels slowly and not very far, typically because the ball is hit on the end of the fat part of the bat.