nutshell
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the hard outer shell that covers the seed or kernel of a nut.
n.the hard, protective outer layer of a nut.
Simple“She cracked the nutshell to get to the walnut inside.”
In context“The forest floor was littered with broken nutshells, evidence of the squirrels' busy morning gathering food for the winter.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a very short and clear description of something, usually in the phrase 'in a nutshell'.
n.a concise summary or the essential points of a matter, typically appearing within the idiomatic prepositional phrase 'in a nutshell'.
Simple“To put it in a nutshell, the company is losing money because of high costs.”
In context“The CEO provided the year's performance in a nutshell, focusing only on the critical decline in market share and the proposed recovery plan.”
Antonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
n.a very small boat, especially one that feels tiny compared to the big ocean.
n.a small, light vessel; often used to emphasize the boat's vulnerability or small size relative to the sea.
Simple“Their tiny boat felt like a nutshell in the middle of the stormy Atlantic.”
In context“The fisherman's nutshell of a boat was tossed violently by the gale, appearing dangerously fragile against the towering grey swells.”
Synonymsdinghyskiff - 04 C2 Proficiency
v.to give a very short summary of a long story or a difficult idea.
v.to summarize or condense information into a brief form.
Simple“Can you nutshell the main points of the meeting for me?”
In context“The editor asked the reporter to nutshell the complex legal ruling into a single paragraph for the morning edition.”
Synonyms
“That, to me, is class in a nutshell: two people can work equally hard and take the same gamble but one has a much bigger margin for error.”
From Middle English notschelle, from Old English hnutsċiell, from Proto-West Germanic *hnutskallju, equivalent to nut + shell. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Nuteskele, Nuteskil (“nutshell”), Dutch notenschaal (“nutshell”), German Nussschale (“nutshell”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.