in a nutshell
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noun
Idioms 1.
the shell of a nut.
2.
in a nutshell, in very brief form; in a few words: Just tell me the story in a nutshell.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To in a nutshell
Collins
World English Dictionary
nutshell (ˈnʌtˌʃɛl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | the shell around the kernel of a nut |
| 2. | in a nutshell in essence; briefly |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
In a nutshell
is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
nutshell
c.1200, nute-scalen; see nut + shell. Figurative use with reference to "great condensation" (1570s) is in allusion to a copy of the Iliad, mentioned by Pliny, which was so small it could fit into the shell of a nut.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
in a nutshell
Concisely, in a few words, as in Here's our proposal
in a nutshell, we want to sell the business to you. This hyperbolic expression alludes to the Roman writer Pliny's description of Homer's Iliad being copied in so tiny a hand that it could fit in a nutshell. For a time it referred to anything compressed, but from the 1500s on it referred mainly to written or spoken words.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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