Editor's Corner

Dear Editrix,

The other day, I responded to my coworker saying something like, “We need to get down to brass tacks.” My coworker responded with a blank stare. I use the phrase “getting down to brass tacks” all the time. Can you define and discuss this for those unfamiliar with the phrase?

Dear JR,

I know the two of us belong to a similar generation, so I’d be happy to go through this. It is definitely an idiom that would be tough to figure out if you had never heard it before.

“Getting down to brass tacks” means getting down to the basic, most important details of a situation. From The Grammarist, here are some synonyms:

· Cut to the chase.

· Get down to business.

· Get down to bedrock.

· Get down to the nitty-gritty.

· Roll up one’s sleeves.

The origin of the phrase is uncertain. Some say it came from the brass tacks haberdashers used when measuring cloth for hats. Others say it came from reupholstering furniture. Still others say it came from preparing President Lincoln’s coffin (but they used giant silver tacks for that). Nobody really knows for sure.

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Knowledge Enablement

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

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