get down to brass tacks

first recorded 19th c. disputed origin

The origin of the phrase is uncertain, though it is likely a variant of the earlier expression *down to the brass*, which appears in writing as early as 1854. One theory suggests the tacks in question were those used in upholstery, which a craftsman must remove to reach the frame of a piece of furniture, or the brass markers hammered into the counters of drapers and hardware merchants to ensure precise measurement by the yard.

Another possibility links the term to the business of the undertaker. In this version, the brass tacks are those used to seal a coffin lid or to arrange the initials of the deceased upon it. Reaching these tacks would therefore imply the conclusion of a matter, or perhaps a turn toward a subject as serious as death itself.