got to grips with

Verb

get to grips with (third-person singular simple present gets to grips with, present participle getting to grips with, simple past got to grips with, past participle (UK) got to grips with or (US) gotten to grips with)

1. (UK, idiomatic) To deal (with something) decisively, or to confront (it) head on.

   Synonyms:

   come to grips

2. (UK, idiomatic) To battle (with something).
   • Estonia were struggling to get to grips with the game while Ireland were showing a composure and guile that demonstrated their experience in play-off ties.2011 November 11, Rory Houston, “Estonia 0-4 Republic of Ireland”, in RTE Sport
3. (UK, idiomatic) To gain an understanding (of something).
   • […] autism is the integral explanation of the phenomenon Kafka in all its expressions, and autism can explain the mystery of Kafka like no other of the interpretations proposed by literary scholars and critics in the history of Kafka research. […] The search by Kafka in his writing was for the...2017 May 16, Jerry Stuger, “Kafka and Autism. The Undisclosed Logic Behind Kafka’s Work”, in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, volume 47, →DOI, pages 2336–2347