What does get to the meat and potatoes mean?

The phrase “get to the meat and potatoes” is an idiom that means to focus on the most important or essential aspects of something. It is used to encourage moving past small talk, niceties, or unimportant details and getting right to the main point or substantive matters.

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Origin of the Phrase

The “meat and potatoes” idiom is believed to have originated in the United States in the late 1800s or early 1900s. It draws an analogy to a meal where the meat and potatoes are considered the heartiest, most filling, and most substantial parts. Likewise, the “meat and potatoes” of a given topic are its core, most crucial elements.

One of the earliest known uses of the exact phrase “meat and potatoes” was in the 1913 book “Interesting Pittsburghers” by George Henry Halkett, which included the line: “His style is meat and potatoes in facts and logic.” This suggests the idiom was already in common parlance by the early 20th century.

Alternative Versions

There are a few variations on the standard “meat and potatoes” phrasing that mean much the same thing:

“Get down to the meat and potatoes”

“Getting to the nitty gritty”
“Cut to the chase”
“Get to the point”

“Get to the heart of the matter”

But “get to the meat and potatoes” or simply “meat and potatoes” are by far the most common versions used.

Common Usages

Here are some examples of how “get to the meat and potatoes” is commonly used in conversation or writing:

“Let’s get to the meat and potatoes of this issue so we can make a decision.”
“His presentation was full of charts and graphs when all I wanted was the meat and potatoes of his strategy.”
“I don’t need a lot of fluff or melodrama, just give me the meat and potatoes of what happened.”

“The first few chapters of the book are background information. The meat and potatoes of the story really start around chapter four.”

In these examples, “meat and potatoes” is used to refer to the most substantial or important information, as opposed to background details or ancillary points. It signals wanting to cut past fluff in order to focus on the core material.

Key Attributes

When someone says they want the “meat and potatoes,” they are generally looking for information or content that has these key attributes:

Main ideas – The crux of the topic, argument, or message being conveyed.
Essential details – Supporting points that provide key context, facts, and evidence.
Actionable content – Information that allows decision-making and forward movement.

No waffle – Content free of rhetorical flair, redundancies, and verbosity.
Hard facts – Quantitative data, definitive examples, and empirical information.
Practical focus – Applicable details rather than theoretical concepts.

In short, “meat and potatoes” refers to any information fundamental to a full understanding of the issue and material that can be put into practical use.

Contrast With “Dessert”

The “meat and potatoes” of a topic can be contrasted with the “dessert.” Dessert refers to supplementary information that may be interesting but is not as essential as the crux. For example:

The “meat and potatoes” of a historical story may be the key events, people, dates, and outcomes.

The “dessert” may be colorful anecdotes, minor details, and side stories that add extra flavor but aren’t vital to the core narrative.

The meat and potatoes are the nutrients you need. The dessert is a pleasurable extra.

Use in Business Settings

“Get to the meat and potatoes” is commonly used in business contexts. For example:

In meetings, people may use it to refocus discussion on the most important agenda items.
For presentations, speakers may be advised to stick to meat and potatoes content instead of getting bogged down in minutiae.
Reports that are meat and potatoes get right to the actionable conclusions and data without unnecessary verbosity.

Marketing materials and sales pitches that provide meat and potatoes clearly explain the core value proposition of a product or service.

The bottom line is that businesses want meat and potatoes content that communicates essential information as efficiently as possible.

Use in Journalism

In journalism, “meat and potatoes” refers to the fundamental facts and key details readers need to understand what happened. For example:

The inverted pyramid style of news writing leads with the meat and potatoes in the lead paragraph.
Newswriting principles like getting to the point quickly and not burying the lede are about providing readers meat and potatoes fast.
The basic facts—who, what, when, where, why, and how—are the meat and potatoes of any news story.

Seasoning a news story with extra context, interviews, and background makes the meat and potatoes more flavorful. But the core facts always come first.

Use in Education

In education, meat and potatoes refers to the core knowledge and skills students need to learn in a subject. For example:

Curriculums may ensure students get the meat and potatoes understanding of a topic before teaching more advanced or peripheral material.

Study aids like summaries, outlines, and flashcards try to boil subjects down to the most essential meat and potatoes.
Lectures or lessons that cover the meat and potatoes ensure students understand key concepts and information.

The meat and potatoes form the stable foundation of knowledge students can build on with wider learning.

Use in Cooking and Food

Given its reference to meat and potatoes, the idiom is also applicable to food. For example:

A hearty meal may be described as meat and potatoes food, meaning simple, filling, and nutritious fare as opposed to delicate or artful cuisine.
Recipes can be broken down into their meat and potatoes essence—for instance, the basic techniques or combinations of ingredients that give a dish its distinctive character.

Cooking advice often stresses nailing the meat and potatoes of a given style of cuisine before moving on to innovative variations.
Menu options may be divided into meat and potatoes entrees that are standard filling fare versus lighter vegetable-focused sides and appetizers.

So in the culinary world, meat and potatoes has connotations of simplicity, satiety, and adherence to basic food preparations.

Exceptions to Meaning

While “meat and potatoes” typically refers to the most substantial part of something, there are exceptions:

It can have a negative connotation of being overly simplistic or unsophisticated, as in “His artwork lacks depth; it’s all meat and potatoes.”
It may refer specifically to American-style cuisine and not cuisine in general, as in “French cuisine goes far beyond mere meat and potatoes.”

Occasionally it refers to physical training like strength workouts, not informational training: “The exercise regimen really focuses on meat and potatoes strength-building instead of cardio.”

But in the vast majority of cases, “meat and potatoes” signifies the very core or essence of something important.

Conclusion

The idiomatic phrase “meat and potatoes” means to focus on the most important aspects of a given topic, situation, or issue at hand. It is a widely used saying in English communication in a variety of contexts from business to academia when signifying that superficial details should be stripped away in favor of core facts, ideas, and practical content. Understanding this common colloquialism can help with effective writing, speaking, and listening across many fields.