IDIOM – IN A NUTSHELL

idiom in a nutshell meaning

“Let me put it in a nutshell for you.”

Example – I’m not sure how to say this, but in a nutshell, I’ve lost my job.

Idioms with a similar meaning – in sum / in short / to put it briefly

Meaning – to summarise in very brief from, to say something in a few words

Origin – This one goes right back to the 1st century.  It appears that some industrious Roman transcribed the complete Iliad onto a parchment so small it fit into nutshell!

 

Example sentences from BNC corpus

  1. That’s what I’m saying in a nutshell.
  2. He knew exactly what they were looking for.  In a nutshell, they wanted a reliable, young worker who can handle the stress of the job.
  3. Put in a nutshell, dictatorships crush free speech.
  4. I think we saw a film of the birth of a baby and that was it, sex education in a nutshell.
  5. TThomas, Biggles’s editor, puts the whole debate in a nutshell:’ On the one side there’s the accusation of censorship, on the other the accusation of racism.’

CONNECTING WORDS: USEFUL EXPRESSIONS IN WRITING

  Idiom – Water Under The BridgeIdiom – To Go Nuts   


 

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