Idiom
In a nutshell
In a nutshell means in very few words, as a short summary of the main point.
How people use it
It often comes at the start of a summary (In a nutshell, the plan is too expensive) or after a verb like put or explain: to put it in a nutshell. It signals that the speaker is skipping details and giving the core idea. The tone is neutral and fine at work or school. "That's it in a nutshell" is a common way to close an explanation.
Also said: to put it in a nutshell.
Examples
- In a nutshell, the new schedule means we start earlier and finish earlier.
- Can you explain the movie's plot in a nutshell?
- That's my reason for moving, in a nutshell: cheaper rent and a shorter commute.
Where it comes from
The Roman writer Pliny the Elder repeated a claim that a copy of Homer's long poem the Iliad had been written small enough to fit inside a nutshell. The image of fitting a lot into a tiny space stuck, and by the 1600s English writers used "in a nutshell" to mean "in a few words". Shakespeare's Hamlet also mentions being "bounded in a nutshell", in a different sense.
Check yourself
1. What does "in a nutshell" mean?
Answer: In short. In a nutshell introduces a brief summary of the main point.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: In a nutshell, the trip was fun but too short.. The idiom means briefly, so a three-hour explanation does not fit.
Similar idioms
Word game fan? See every word hiding in NUTSHELL.