RE:
What is the origin of the term “get down to brass tax”?

The etymology of the expression is unclear. It may have roots in the way fabric manufacturers used to mark out a yard in tacks on the counter so customers could buy their fabric accordingly.

Another possibility is: In the 1860’s the US government issued boots for soldiers that were constructed using brass tacks to hold the leather soles on to the bottoms of their boots. As the boots wore down, the tacks would protrude through the sole and in to the bottom of the soldier’s feet. ‘Brass tacks’ could mean to get to the absolute bottom of things in reference to shoes.

It is also argued that the idiom is derived from the “Brass Tax of 1854”. The tax, put into place by the U.S. government, was received as a direct attack on Southern slave owners, who relied heavily on brass products for daily functions on the plantation. “Get down to brass tax” was initially used to mean “stoop to someone’s level” or “deal a low blow” in reference to the South’s interpreted “cheap shot” from the U.S. government. After the war, however, it took on new meaning in reference to the brass tacks in a soldier’s shoes, as mentioned above.

It is also noteworthy that the tax, in addition to creating revenue for the government, led to a sharp increase in the cost of many instruments. Tubas, trumpets, cornets, french horns, and other popular brass instruments gave way to flutes, piccolos, clarinets and oboes as the more affordable woodwind instruments’ popularity skyrocketed. Evidence of this is most notable when examining Civil War marching music which relies heavily on the beating of percussion instruments and melodies from the woodwind family. Brass instruments are noticeably absent.

The expression might also be rhyming slang for “facts

“It may have roots in the way fabric manufacturers used to mark out a yard in tacks on the counter so customers could buy their fabric accordingly.

Another possibility is: In the 1860’s the US government issued boots for soldiers that were constructed using brass tacks to hold the leather soles on to the bottoms of their boots. As the boots wore down, the tacks would protrude through the sole and in to the bottom of the soldier’s feet. ‘Brass tacks’ could mean to get to the absolute bottom of things in reference to shoes.

It is also argued that the idiom is derived from the “Brass Tax of 1854”. The tax, put into place by the U.S. government, was received as a direct attack on Southern slave owners, who relied heavily on brass products for daily functions on the plantation. “Get down to brass tax” was initially used to mean “stoop to someone’s level” or “deal a low blow” in reference to the South’s interpreted “cheap shot” from the U.S. government. After the war, however, it took on new meaning in reference to the brass tacks in a soldier’s shoes, as mentioned above.”

Happy etymologying!

Also, get down to bedrock or the nitty gritty or cases. Deal with the essentials; come to the point. For example, Stop delaying and get down to brass tacks, or We really need to get down to bedrock, or He has a way of getting down to the nitty gritty, or Let’s get down to cases. The origin of the first phrase, dating from the late 1800s, is disputed. Some believe it alludes to the brass tacks used under fine upholstery, others that it is Cockney rhyming slang for “hard facts,” and still others that it alludes to tacks hammered into a sales counter to indicate precise measuring points. The noun bedrock has signified the hard rock underlying alluvial mineral deposits since about 1850 and has been used figuratively to denote “bottom” since the 1860s. The noun nitty-gritty dates from the mid-1900s and alludes to the detailed (“nitty”) and possibly unpleasant (“gritty”) issue in question. The noun cases apparently alludes to the game of faro, in which the “case card” is the last of a rank of cards remaining in play; this usage dates from about 1900.