· 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"
Synonym(s): kernel, substance, core, center, centre, essence, gist, heart, inwardness, marrow, meat, nub, pith, sum, nitty-gritty
Hypernym(s): content, cognitive_content, mental_object
· with complete faith; "she was with him heart and soul"
Synonym(s): body_and_soul