nutshell
Americannoun
idioms
noun
-
the shell around the kernel of a nut
-
in essence; briefly
Etymology
Origin of nutshell
Explanation
The hard, protective covering of a nut is called a nutshell. If you hear someone say "in a nutshell," they are most likely summing something up in a few words. It's more common to refer to a nutshell as simply a shell. Most people use the word nutshell figuratively. When you say, "in a nutshell," you mean "to sum it up," or "to condense a large amount of information into one short sentence." For example you might say, "In a nutshell, The Odyssey is the story of a guy who went on a long boat trip."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Aug. 12, 1980, Burdic responded to a reported shooting at the Nutshell Tavern in Myrtle Creek.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 19, 2021
Mr Page said he had been speaking to West Suffolk Council about whether The Nutshell could serve customers on the pavement outside.
From BBC • Jun. 23, 2020
It debuted a year after the arrival of Maurice Sendak’s four-volume Nutshell Library.
From Slate • Nov. 14, 2018
McEwan’s most recent novel, though, might win an anti-Oscar for its resistance to filming: Nutshell is narrated by a foetus.
From The Guardian • Sep. 23, 2017
McDANIEL: We will put a card or blank for nominations of members in the next issue of the Nutshell.
From Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Forty-Second Annual Meeting Urbana, Illinois, August 28, 29 and 30, 1951 by Northern Nut Growers Association
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
