Synonyms

nuts and bolts

American

noun

the essential or basic aspects.

to learn the nuts and bolts of a new job.

nuts and bolts British

plural noun

informal the essential or practical details

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

nuts-and-bolts

adjective

Etymology

Origin of nuts and bolts

First recorded in 1955–60

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.

“If you don’t know the ins and outs and nuts and bolts inside City Hall, how are you going to be mayor?” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Consider the personal-finance nuts and bolts involved in that kind of situation.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026

After research in the BMW archives to figure out what needed to be done, I replaced all the nuts and bolts with factory-looking originals.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 14, 2025

All part of the nuts and bolts at a leading Premier League club in 2025.

From BBC • Nov. 13, 2025

Schindler knew little about the nuts and bolts of manufacturing and wasn't interested in learning.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023