[Ads-l] Antedating of "Nitty Gritty"

[Shapiro, Fred]

Part of Merriam-Webster's definition of "nitty gritty" is "specific practical details."  The 1935 citation is about specific practical details.  The sentence after the one I quoted is: "He even has the various thumb movements classified."

Fred Shapiro

________________________________
From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Mark Mandel <markamandel at GMAIL.COM>
Sent: Monday, February 14, 2022 7:45 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Antedating of "Nitty Gritty"

Which is significantly different from the modern meaning:
>>>>>
the nitty-gritty
...
the basic facts of a situation:
*Let's get down to the nitty-gritty - how much will it cost?*
<<<<<
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MAM


On Mon, Feb 14, 2022, 10:44 AM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu> wrote:

> nitty gritty (OED 1940)
>
> 1934 Washington Tribune​ 26 Apr. 18/7 (Readex)  Gable ... has the art of
> hitch-hiking down to a nitty-gritty.
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
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