in a nutshell
41
3.4
- idiom
- Informal
:
en pocas palabras
- In a nutshell, the meeting was about improving team communication.
- put it in a nutshell
- There, in a nutshell
So, so that's sort of in a nutshell, our remaining problem.
- So, so that's sort of in a nutshell, our remaining problem.
- This article in a nutshell is the reason, right?
- So in a nutshell, it's a lot more particles.
- But so in a nutshell, be observant.
- That in a nutshell is the problem with our culture right now.
- Touchy would, in a nutshell, give, you know, signs to certain things.
- So that is really in a nutshell, what the book is going to tell you about.
- And here's the problem or the issue in a nutshell.
- What is the purpose of marketing in a nutshell?
- So there you go, a lifetime ISA in a nutshell.
Examples
-
Their job, in a nutshell, was to take the war to the terrorists.
Fiction book (2002) -
There, in a nutshell, is the American vision, reduced from natural to positive law.
Academic text (2018) -
That in a nutshell is the problem with our culture right now.
-
This article in a nutshell is the reason, right?
-
But that in a nutshell, is the solution.
-
So that is really in a nutshell, what the book is going to tell you about.
-
Okay, this is basically how it works, I mean, in a nutshell.
-
And that, in a nutshell, is the Fox Books philosophy.
-
So that, in a nutshell, is how ChatGPT works.
-
OK, well, in a nutshell, I grew up in Kansas City, KS.
Synonyms
275
2.7
To say something in a clearer way
167
3.6
To give one or more examples of something just mentioned
115
2.8
To give only the main facts
90
3.0
Present the main points of a text in a short, clear way
75
8.2
Shows a result or short conclusion after someone says something
38
3.4
To briefly repeat the main points
37
3.5
To say something more clearly
8
8.7
Introduces specific examples or details that follow
6
2.8
To say something in a few short words
1
6.4
To give a short summary of the main points
To make a short summary of a text or speech
To explain something just mentioned more clearly, giving the exact meaning
Shows a specific example or explanation that follows
Antonyms
How Brief
Surface Forms
Morphology
in + a + nutshell
The expression relies on a conventional metaphor (something small that fits 'in a nutshell' = said briefly), so a learner who knows 'in', 'a' and 'nutshell' can often infer it means ‘briefly’ or ‘in summary’, but the idiomatic use 'to introduce a summary' is conventionalized and not wholly predictable from the parts. Cross-linguistically this exact container metaphor is not universal, so the relation is partially clear but requires some exposure.
Etymology
In a nutshell comes from the image of saying something so small it could fit inside a nut's shell, and people used that picture to show a short idea. That's why in a nutshell means 'a brief summary'.