Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for meat and potatoes

meat and potatoes

1

noun

, (used with a singular or plural verb)
  1. the essential or basic part:

    Community service is the meat and potatoes of this program.



meat-and-potatoes

2
or meat-and-po·ta·to

[ meet-n-puh-tey-tohz, -tuhz ]

adjective

, Informal.
  1. fundamental; down-to-earth; basic:

    What are the meat-and-potatoes issues of the election?

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of meat and potatoes1

Probably earlier than 1950–55

Origin of meat and potatoes2

First recorded in 1945–50
Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

The fundamental part or parts of something, as in This paragraph is the meat and potatoes of the contract . This metaphoric term transfers what some regard as basic fare to the basics of an issue. [Mid-1900s]
Discover More

Example Sentences

Think of what a meat-and-potatoes Democrat like Ed Rendell would do in the job.

A meat-and-potatoes Democrat like Ed Rendell would make jobs and the economy the true top priority of his administration.

Advertisement

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement