blocking and tackling

From US football.

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blocking and tackling (uncountable)

1. (idiomatic, US) Basic tasks or skills in an undertaking or occupation.
   • 1999 March 16, Saul Hansell, “THE MARKETS: Market Place -- Trading on E*Trade's Success; Chief Has Aggressive Plans to Expand Internet Broker”, in New York Times:

     Some are caught up in the vision. Others are turned off and say he's a self-promoter who doesn't know anything about the blocking and tackling of the brokerage business.

   • 2002 November 16, Ron Martz, “U.S. soldiers train for urban warfare; 'A knife fight in a phone booth,' is what troops liken it to. U.S. forces are preparing.”, in Atlanta Journal Constitution:

     Cummings has been instrumental in the design of a computer simulation that he says will teach "the basic blocking and tackling of urban warfare.

   • 2009 December, Anonymous, “Letters to the Editor”, in Atlantic Monthly, volume 304, number 5, page 10:

     This is admittedly the bare basics of journalism, and one would hope it took more than simple journalistic blocking and tackling to become our most trusted practitioner.