nitty-gritty

/ˌnɪdi ˌgrɪdi/

Definitions of nitty-gritty

1. noun

   the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
   synonyms: center, centre, core, essence, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, kernel, marrow, meat, nub, pith, substance, sum

   types:

   bare bones

   (plural) the most basic facts or elements

   hypostasis

   (metaphysics) essential nature or underlying reality

   haecceity, quiddity

   the essence that makes something the kind of thing it is and makes it different from any other

   distillation, quintessence

   the purest and most concentrated essence of something

   stuff

   a critically important or characteristic component

   type of:

   cognitive content, content, mental object

   the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned