meat and potatoes

¹ American  

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

1. the essential or basic part.

   Community service is the meat and potatoes of this program.

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meat-and-potatoes ² American  

[meet-n-puh-tey-tohz, -tuhz] / ˈmit n pəˈteɪ toʊz, -təz /

Or meat-and-potato

adjective

Informal.

1. fundamental; down-to-earth; basic.

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

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meat and potatoes Idioms  

1. 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]

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Etymology

Origin of meat and potatoes¹

Probably earlier than 1950–55

Origin of meat-and-potatoes²

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

He just flipped open his script, tapped it with the flat of his hand, and said, “This? All this memorizing, all this work? That’s the meat and potatoes.”

From Salon

"She got the diet just right for Middle England - meat and potatoes, all the greens in the right place. And sponge pudding to follow. It's comfortable and regular. Sometimes you'll even enjoy it."

From BBC

I’d like to move on to a few questions about sort of the meat and potatoes issues that you touched on earlier.

From Salon

Surely Lee, who had previously described himself as a “meat and potatoes” guy, liked Kobe beef?

From Los Angeles Times

And this winter, the organization decided to refocus his defensive work primarily at catcher, with general manager Brandon Gomes saying the position has to be “his meat and potatoes.”

From Los Angeles Times