getting down to brass tacks

Verb

get down to brass tacks (third-person singular simple present gets down to brass tacks, present participle getting down to brass tacks, simple past got down to brass tacks, past participle gotten down to brass tacks or got down to brass tacks)

1. (idiomatic) To (start to) consider or deal with the most important details or facts about something.
   • He did not wish to delay action, but was ready to vote instanter.—A reference now would amount to a defeat of the memorial. It was better to come right down to the brass and vote.[1854 April 1, “Legislative matters. […] Log-rolling of a land grant memorial through the Assembly”, in Milwaukee Daily Sentinel, volume X (New Series), number 2939, Milwaukee, Wis.: Rufus King &...

   Synonyms:

   break down to brass tacks, cut to the chase, drill down, get down to bedrock, get down to brass nails, get down to business, get down to cases, get down to nuts and bolts, get down to the nitty-gritty, get right down to cases