Question

Bottom Line the most crucial fact; the net result

Accepted Answer

If we don't win this ball game, we're out of the playoffs. That's the bottom line. For hundreds of years accountants have added up the profits and losses of companies. The sum appears at the bottom line of a column of numbers. While "bottom line" still means a bookkeeping figure showing profit or loss, it has taken on a more general meaning since the mid-1900s, and now refers to any crucial decision or final result, financial or not.

Idiom	Bottom Line
Example	If we don't win this ball game, we're out of the playoffs. That's the bottom line.
Meaning	the most crucial fact; the net result
Origin	For hundreds of years accountants have added up the profits and losses of companies. The sum appears at the bottom line of a column of numbers. While "bottom line" still means a bookkeeping figure showing profit or loss, it has taken on a more general meaning since the mid-1900s, and now refers to any crucial decision or final result, financial or not.

Bottom Line Crucial Win Ball Game Playoffs Fact