The basics of educating a trio of Republicans

Wiktionary Word definitions in Wiktionary
n. 1 The basic education received in primary schools. Literally; reading, writing and arithmetic. 2 The basic education any child can expect to receive, but not necessarily limited to reading, writing and arithmetic. 3 (context idiomatic English) The basic ...

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary Word definitions in Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1824; said to have been given as a toast by Sir William Curtis (1752-1829), a beloved lord mayor of London in the 1820s, who seems to have been a figure of fun to whom many mangled phrases were attributed. Among the toasts he is alleged to have given at ...