Definition: the essence that makes something the kind of thing it is and makes it different from any other
Similar words: gist, heart, heart and soul, nub, nitty-gritty, essence, core, centre, center, pith, meat, inwardness, kernel, marrow, substance, sum
Definition: the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
Usage: the gist of the prosecutor's argument; the heart and soul of the Republican Party; the nub of the story
Synonyms: cavil, quibble, quiddity
Definition: an evasion of the point of an argument by raising irrelevant distinctions or objections
Similar words: evasion, equivocation
Definition: a statement that is not literally false but that cleverly avoids an unpleasant truth