bedrock

down to bedrock

Focused on the most important aspects of a particular situation. Often used in the phrase "get down to bedrock." Let's get down to bedrock so that everyone has a good grasp on the project overall before we split up to do our separate parts.
See also: bedrock, down

get down to brass tacks

To focus on the most important aspects of a particular situation. Let's get down to brass tacks so that everyone has a good grasp on the project overall before we split up to do our separate parts. Don't get overwhelmed with this case, just get down to brass tacks.
See also: brass, down, get, tack
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

get down to brass tacks

Fig. to begin to talk about important things; to get down to business. Let's get down to brass tacks. We've wasted too much time chatting. Don't you think that it's about time to get down to brass tacks?
See also: brass, down, get, tack
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

get down to brass tacks

Also, get down to bedrock or the nitty gritty or cases . Deal with the essentials; come to the point. For example, Stop delaying and get down to brass tacks, or We really need to get down to bedrock, or He has a way of getting down to the nitty gritty, or Let's get down to cases. The origin of the first phrase, dating from the late 1800s, is disputed. Some believe it alludes to the brass tacks used under fine upholstery, others that it is Cockney rhyming slang for "hard facts," and still others that it alludes to tacks hammered into a sales counter to indicate precise measuring points. The noun bedrock has signified the hard rock underlying alluvial mineral deposits since about 1850 and has been used figuratively to denote "bottom" since the 1860s. The noun nitty-gritty dates from the mid-1900s and alludes to the detailed ("nitty") and possibly unpleasant ("gritty") issue in question. The noun cases apparently alludes to the game of faro, in which the "case card" is the last of a rank of cards remaining in play; this usage dates from about 1900. Also see to the point.
See also: brass, down, get, tack
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

get down to brass tacks

If people get down to brass tacks, they begin to discuss the basic, most important aspects of a situation. To get down to brass tacks, what I want to know is, do you know anything at all about her mother's side of the family? Note: The usual explanation for this expression is that in Cockney rhyming slang `brass tacks' are facts.
See also: brass, down, get, tack
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

get (or come) down to brass tacks

start to consider the essential facts or practical details; reach the real matter in hand. informal
1932 T. S. Eliot Sweeney Agonistes That's all the facts when you come to brass tacks: Birth, and copulation, and death.
See also: brass, down, get, tack
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

get down to brass ˈtacks

(informal) begin to discuss and deal with the really important practical details: Let’s get down to brass tacks — how much will it all cost?
See also: brass, down, get, tack
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

bedrock

1. n. fundamentals; solid facts. Let’s get down to bedrock and quit wasting time.
2. mod. fundamental. You’ve been avoiding the bedrock issues all your life.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • down to bedrock
  • come a gutser
  • be down to (one)
  • be down to somebody/something
  • be down to something
  • be down to (do something)
  • bounce up and down
  • ask down
  • close down
  • close down and shut down
References in periodicals archive
In addition to avoiding costly and potentially dangerous cyber intrusion, Bedrock intrinsic cybersecurity reduces the need for costly external firewalls, intrusion detection and other devices.
Open Secure Automation Scales Down for Remote Control
A total of six numerical simulations were conducted with varying bedrock depths of 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, and 20 m.
Numerical Analysis of Laterally Loaded Piles Affected by Bedrock Depth
Both the crystalline basement and the covering sedimentary bedrock are articulated by numerous faults, commonly related to the Caledonian orogeny.
Ground-penetrating radar and electrical resistivity tomography for mapping bedrock topography and fracture zones: a case study in Viru-Nigula, NE Estonia/Aluspohja reljeefi ja rikkevoondite kaardistamine georadari ning eritakistuse tomograafiaga Viru-Nigulas (Kirde-Eestis)
Predict: How will two bedrock materials react to dripping water?
Cave Explorer: Penny Boston hunts for life out-of-this-world environments
Alan Kestenbaum, chairman of Bedrock Industries, said, 'This is an exciting day for Stelco and for all of those who have worked so hard to position this company for success.
Stelco acquires Bedrock Industries Group
"As console players come to Bedrock, they will gain a lot of things that already exist [there]...  They'll be able to generate right past the edge of the world they've had before.
'Minecraft' Cross-Platform Update Leaves Out Xbox 360, Wii U Editions
Bedrock Data provides data integrations platforms that help businesses connect the critical systems they use on a day-to-day basis.
Bedrock Data, Trujay Group enable the seamless business system connections
It indicates that the cracks in the rock are distributed mainly in the rock where the loading from the pile end is applied directly and the stress of the bedrock is uneven.
Model Test Research on the End Bearing Behavior of the Large-Diameter Cast-in-Place Concrete Pile for Jointed Rock Mass
Bedrock should improve over today's extra furlong but he will need to because his rivals include Norfolk Stakes winner Waterloo Bridge as well as numerous other dangers.
ROCK IS READY TO ROLL; In association with WINNER MACHINE
This, in turn, determines filtration time (with constant parameters of medium permeability) of IR and MR broken-down rock complex and poroelastic (unloaded from rock pressure) bedrock and soil roof.
Assessment of relationship between mechanical states of the solid and gas-dynamic factors in relation to development of methods for calculating parameters of methane drainage boreholes in coal deposits exploitation
If swimmers refrained from walking on the bedrock, the department said, incidents of stinging would be negligible.
Cassiopea jellyfish poses no danger, authorities say
He's been the bedrock of what we've been trying to do over the past five or six years and we're really pleased he's finally agreed."
Pulis happy he's got his talisman; FOOTBALL
Pulis pays tribute to Stoke skipper Ryan STOKE boss Tony Pulis hailed Ryan Shawcross as the bedrock of the club after the defender signed a new five-and-a-half-year contract.
Pulis pays tribute to Stoke [...]; FOOTBALL newsbulletin
Mapping regolith thickness to bedrock is important for environmental modeling in general and for seismic hazard assessment in particular.
Geophysical and remote sensing-based approach to model regolith thickness in a data-sparse environment
Last month, the company completed drilling work to enhance the foundation's earthquake resistance and it is currently checking the firmness of bedrock located about 24 meters deep.
Japan Nuclear Fuel unveils plutonium fuel plant