nutshell

Acorn's hard exterior

A nutshell is the hard outer covering of a nut.

The phrase in a nutshell means expressed in the briefest possible form, summarizing something complex in a few words: In a nutshell, we're broke.

The image is of fitting something large into a tiny space.

summary

gist

Central meaning distilled

  • essenceFundamental nature of something
  • coreCentral essential portion
  • cruxMost important point

synopsis · overview · brief · condensed · digest · outline · rundown · abstract · precis · capsule

idiom

briefly

In few words

basically · simply put · in short · in brief · to summarize · long story short · bottom line · in essence · put simply · summing up

shell

husk

Dry seed covering

  • casingEnclosing cover or frame
  • podSeed case or cetacean group
  • capsuleEnclosed dose container

kernel · hazelnut · almond · pistachio · pecan · cracking · peanut · acorn · chestnut · filbert

miniature

tiny

Extremely small in size

minuscule · pocket-sized · diminutive · scaled-down · teeny · wee · cramped · confined · minute · little

Categories
Opposites
brevity/comprehensiveness

nutshellat length

In great detail

in depth · in its entirety · long-winded · blow-by-blow · chapter and verse

PART OF NUT (literal)

nutshellkernel

Seed or essential core

nutmeat

SIZE/SCALE (metaphorical container)

nutshelluniverse

Complete system or domain

cosmos · vastness · infinity · ocean · expanse

Phrases
Family

nutshells, in a nutshell

Familiarity
Top 10,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G