Deal with the important details.

Etymology:

  • Unknown. Earliest attestation in 1863 US, specifically Texas. One theory is that it comes from the brass tacks in the counter of a hardware store or draper’s shop used to measure cloth in precise units. Another possibility is the 19th-century American practice of using brass tacks to spell out the initials of the deceased on the top of their coffin. Alternatively, it may come from Cockney rhyming slang to mean "getting down to the facts."
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You must be Jules, which would make you Vincent. Let's get down to brass tacks, gentlemen. If I was informed correctly, the clock is ticking. Is that right, Jimmie? - Scene from Pulp Fiction.

Submitted on September 01, 2009

Additional definitions for 'get down to brass tacks':

Get Down to Brass TacksTo directly hit the basic aspects of the issue; start an extremely important task
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