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nub

   Also found in: Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.06 sec.
nub  (nb)
n.
1. A protuberance or knob.
2. A small lump.
3. The essence; the core: the nub of a story.

[Variant of knub, probably from Low German knubbe, from Middle Low German, variant of knobbe.]

nubby adj.

nub
Noun
the point or gist: this is the nub of his theory [Middle Low German knubbe knob]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.nubnub - a small lump or protuberance        
excrescence, extrusion, gibbosity, gibbousness, hump, jut, bulge, protrusion, protuberance, swelling, bump, prominence - something that bulges out or is protuberant or projects from its surroundings; "the gun in his pocket made an obvious bulge"; "the hump of a camel"; "he stood on the rocky prominence"; "the occipital protuberance was well developed"; "the bony excrescence between its horns"
2.nub - a small piece; "a nub of coal"; "a stub of a pencil"
nubbin - a small nub (especially an undeveloped fruit or ear of corn)
part, piece - a portion of a natural object; "they analyzed the river into three parts"; "he needed a piece of granite"
3.nub - the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience; "the gist of the prosecutor's argument"; "the heart and soul of the Republican Party"; "the nub of the story"
cognitive content, mental object, content - the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned
bare bones - (plural) the most basic facts or elements; "he told us only the bare bones of the story"
hypostasis - (metaphysics) essential nature or underlying reality
haecceity, quiddity - the essence that makes something the kind of thing it is and makes it different from any other
quintessence - the purest and most concentrated essence of something
stuff - a critically important or characteristic component; "suspense is the very stuff of narrative"

nub


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
He told them a good many humorous anecdotes, and always forgot the nub, but they were always able to furnish it, for these yarns were of a pretty early vintage, and they had had many a rejuvenating pull at them before.
I had one of them on this ranch five years ago, and I'll tell you about it, so that you can see the nub of this whole question.
Men told anecdotes that were terrific to hear, but nobody blushed; and when the nub was sprung, the assemblage let go with a horse-laugh that shook the fortress.
 
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