ENGLISH
REFERENCE

in a nutshell

idiom
Meaning

In summary; briefly or simply.


Origin

disputed origin

Calque of New Latin in nuce, derived from an anecdote in Pliny the Elder, who ascribes to Cicero the claim that the whole Iliad was once written on parchment and enclosed within a nutshell (Naturalis Historia 7.21.85). Compare typologically Czech stručný, stručně (< struk).

Examples
SIMPLE

That is the plan in a nutshell.

CONTEXTUAL

The manager explained the new project goals in a nutshell so everyone understood the main tasks.

COMPLEX

To describe the complex history of the region in a nutshell, one must focus on the recurring struggle for independence.

Anchors to

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