The phrase get down to brass tacks (not brass tax) is an Americanism dating from the 19th century. In the idiom, brass tacks means (1) the essentials, or (2) the basic facts, so to get down to brass tacks is to focus on the essentials.





The phrase’s exact derivation is unknown, though there are a few theories. One is that the expression is inspired by the centrality of actual brass tacks in furniture and upholstery. Another is that brass tacks is simply a bit of rhyming wordplay derived from facts. In any case, the phrase was widespread in its modern sense by the early 20th century.

Examples

Most early written instances of brass tacks are from U.S. sources—for example:






Today, however, brass tacks is used throughout the English-speaking world—for example: