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brass tacks
plural noun
: details of immediate practical importance
—usually used in the phrase get down to brass tacks
Examples of brass tacks in a Sentence
after the usual introductions and requisite pleasantries, we got down to the brass tacks of our business proposal
Recent Examples on the Web
But in the private markets, as a reporter, brass tacks numbers on how startups and the VC firms that back them are performing are a whole lot harder to come by.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2024
The bromides change but the brass tacks are the same.
—Ahmed Al Omran, New York Times, 13 July 2023
Ready to get into the brass tacks—er, vinyl surfaces?
—Rachel Silva, ELLE Decor, 28 June 2023
Ready to get down to the brass tacks?
—Brie Schwartz, Woman's Day, 11 May 2022
But the brass tacks here are all about money.
—Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 30 Nov. 2021
Related Story To get down to the brass tacks, this takes the form of 1,700 radios designed to transmit not only voice communications, but also video, text messages, and GPS data.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 3 Mar. 2023
The next sessions were more about getting down to brass tacks.
—Matthew Schnipper, The New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2023
Down to the brass tacks what are these general assertions telling us?
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 23 Feb. 2011
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brass tacks.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1863, in the meaning defined above
Articles Related to brass tacks
Dictionary Entries Near brass tacks
Cite this Entry
“Brass tacks.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brass%20tacks. Accessed 16 Jun. 2024.
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