business ends

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
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]
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