Search results
What's the origin of the phrase 'Nitty-gritty'? Any turn of phrase that is suspected as being racist is subject to close scrutiny, especially in the USA; hence the euphemistic ‘N-word’. Reports that a harmless word like picnic originated as the name of a lynching party only have to be voiced to be taken seriously and become part of folk ...
May 12, 2022 · 'Nitty-gritty' (meaning 'the heart of the matter') can be traced back to at least 1940, & originated in the U.S. in African-American usage. Today, in 2022, is this English expression perceived racist by many Anglophones despite the hard evidence to the contrary?
Jun 27, 2019 · nitty-gritty. (n.) "basic facts of a situation or problem," by 1961, knitty-gritty, American English, said to have been chiefly used by black jazz musicians, perhaps ultimately from nit and grits "finely ground corn." As an adjective from 1966.
Mar 31, 2011 · One song written in 1963, by a Licoln Chase, titled simply The Nitty Gritty, appears to have been especially influential in the uptake of the word. I reproduce the first few lines: Some folks know about it, some don't.
Jan 26, 2021 · The seemingly innocent phrase is believed to have origins with links to the time of slavery. A complaint against the BBC’s political editor for the use of a term thought by some to have...
Where does the word nitty-gritty come from? Earliest known use. 1940s. The earliest known use of the word nitty-gritty is in the 1940s. OED's earliest evidence for nitty-gritty is from 1940, in Pittsburgh Courier. nitty-gritty is perhaps formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: gritty adj.1. See etymology. Nearby entries. nitter, n. 1808–28.
Jul 26, 2024 · Of uncertain origin; said to have been first used by black jazz musicians from the United States, the word is perhaps a reduplication of gritty (“ resembling grit ”) (ultimately from Proto-Germanic *greutą (“ grit ”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrewd-) with alteration of the first syllable.
