Grit

Grit

 Grit, a popular reference to a member of the LIBERAL PARTY of Canada. The nickname derives from grit, fine sand or gravel, which is often valued for its abrasive quality, and from an American slang term implying firmness of character, as used in the phrase "true grit." Canadian political usage of the word dates from 1849, when progressive members of the Upper Canada Reform Party were dubbed CLEAR GRITS and characterized as being "all sand and no dirt, clear grit all the way through." Led by George BROWN of the Globe, in the early 1870s the progressive members joined with Lower Canada reformers to create the Liberal Party, and the description of the few was applied to the many.