business end

Noun

business end (plural business ends)

1. The part of a day, event, or place (such as a city or district) used for business activities.
   • The improvements of the town have been nearly stationary for several years past; but the construction of the Ohio Grand canal through it, has given new life and activity to its business end improvements.1836, I[srael] Daniel Rupp, “Ohio”, in The Geographical Catechism of Pennsylvania, and the Western States; […], Harrisburg, Pa.: John Winebrenner, […], →OCLC, page 238
   • The place had risen so rapidly in the hands of its founders, as to make their heads a little unsteady. […] Their minister was a popular man, and they relied on him to carry forward the religious end of the enterprise. The business end,—the heavier,—they were willing to carry themselves.1853, [Martha Stone Hubbell], chapter XXIII, in The Shady Side; or, Life in a Country Parsonage […], Boston, Mass.: John P[unchard] Jewett and Company; Cleveland, Oh.: Jewett, Proctor & Worthington...
2. (idiomatic) The part of an object (chiefly a tool or weapon) that is physically used for its operation, rather than some other part such as the part by which it is held.
   • staring down the business end of a [calibre of pistol here]
   • The business end of a hammer is known as the head.
3. (broadly, idiomatic) The part of an activity, period of time, etc., which is most important and produces the significant result.
   • There is even an example of convergent evolution at a molecular level in two enzymes, one from soil bacteria and the other from man, which have exactly the same patterns of amino acids at the "business ends."1973, Lyall Watson, “The Physics of Life: Life Fields/Brain Waves/Resonance/Biophysics”, in Supernature, New York, N.Y.: Anchor Press/Doubleday, →ISBN, part 1 (Cosmos), page 102
   • On this day, with expectation rising and the unmistakable feeling around this sweeping Samara Stadium that the World Cup is really reaching the business end, England delivered.2018 July 7, Phil McNulty, “FIFA World Cup – Quarter-final: Sweden 0 – 2 England”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 18 Dec 2023