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Noun: nitty-gritty  'ni-tee'gri-tee
Usage: informal
  1. The choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
    "the nitty-gritty of the prosecutor's argument";
    - kernel, substance, core, center [US], centre [Brit, Cdn], essence, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, marrow, meat, nub, pith, sum

Type of: cognitive content, content, mental object

Encyclopedia: Nitty-gritty