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the heart of the matter

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the heart of the matter

The focal, central, or most important element of a topic, problem, or issue. Over the course of this trial, the prosecution intends to get to the heart of the matter regarding this company's shady financial dealings.

See also: heart, matter, of

*the heart of the matter

the central issue of the matter. (Crux is an old word meaning "cross." *Typically: be at ~; get at ~; go to ~; look at ~.) All right, this is the crux of the matter. It's about time that we got to the heart of the matter.

See also: heart, matter, of