noun

the substance or general meaning of a speech or text.

it was hard to get the gist of Pedro’s talk

essence,substance,quintessence,main idea/theme,central idea/theme,nub,core,heart,heart of the matter,nucleus,kernel,pith,marrow,meat,burden,crux,important point,thrust,direction,drift,sense,meaning,significance,import,nitty-gritty

verb

engage in chat or gossip.

I need a good friend I can always gist with