down to brass tacks

down to brass tacks

Focused on the most important aspects of a particular situation. Often used in the phrase "get down to brass tacks." 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, tack
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • get down to brass tacks
  • gritty
  • nitty
  • bedrock
  • brass tacks
  • get down to brass tacks, to/let's
  • be down to (one)
  • be down to somebody/something
  • be down to something
  • be down to (do something)
References in classic literature
will you get down to brass tacks and strike a trial balance?
"Get down to brass tacks. I'm willing to take your word for it that there's a Copan valley in Honduras.
"That's the proposition," he repeated to himself; "what will they-all do when the play is close and down to brass tacks?" He felt unwarrantably suspicious of them.
Sure, Irwin dives into topics such as the importance of using the right mindset, but he also gets down to brass tacks, and offers real, practical tools to survive and ride out economic and technological shifts.
Rather than engaging in public deceit, the IGP should get down to brass tacks and embrace intelligence-based and technology-driven methods to rein in the menace of crime which, in itself, has become dynamic.
"However, when it came down to brass tacks, there was no new money on the table - the management went around and around in circles.
However, when it came down to brass tacks there was no new money on the table - the management went around and around in circles.
Never one for beating around the bush, Jimmy got straight down to brass tacks. "Martin, would you be interested in managing Ireland?" Jimmy asked.
You would have to pay a fortune if you went to a doctor to get the prescription which I am giving you free of charge." class="MsoNormalAfter keeping us in suspense for a while, he came down to brass tacks.
The view from the soul gets down to brass tacks. Like all breakups, you experience loss and grief, even with an It.
Schaumburg officials are getting down to brass tacks on many of the more practical aspects of a long-discussed entertainment district around the Schaumburg Convention Center and its adjoining Renaissance Hotel, including road realignments, more land acquisition and -- perhaps most importantly -- a four- to six-level parking deck.
Coming back to Pakistan-China relations, time is ripe to break out of the strait jacket of hollow slogans and come down to brass tacks. Realism demands that our relations be given stronger economic, commercial and cultural moorings.
Cagayan de Oro-On our second day of the 'Yes for Peace' workshop, meant to help selected members of civil society organizations in Mindanao to develop a media plan for the coming referendum on the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), the body got down to brass tacks on what a media plan consists of and why it is necessary.
Let's get down to brass tacks. Munawar in his statement informs the viewer that his 'Ankahi' comprises four independent installations and metaphors in the form of a dialogue based on his 'ecological concerns'.
When it comes to the Civic, Honda's engineers definitely got down to brass tacks and made something desirable.