Further Antedating of "Nitty Gritty"

[Shapiro, Fred]

nitty gritty (OED3 1952)

1940 _Pittsburgh Courier_  29 June 10 (ProQuest Historical Newspapers)  Any  convention goes lacking when that Joe Louis clenches his fists, put on the gloves, and steps into the ring in his pretty satin trunks and whips another guy down in the "nitty-gritty."

Fred Shapiro

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