root of the matter

Idioms and Phrases

The essential part or cause of something, as in We still don't understand what happened; we must get to the root of the matter . This expression was first recorded in the Bible (Job 19:28).

Example Sentences

“Ah! here I reach the root of the matter. He wanted you to marry him?”

From Literature

I’m not seeing how any of these low-hanging cuts get to the root of the matter.

From Seattle Times

“That would be the benefit of an actual investigation conducted by the FBI. We don’t see how you can get to the root of the matter without that.”

From Fox News

“It’s that slow, Alabama drawl that he has, but he gets right down to the root of the matter and he’s a practical, solutions-driven kind of manager, so what you see is what you get. He’s an operator’s dream.”

From New York Times

To get to the root of the matter, we’ll need to take a trip back in time.

From The Guardian