nutshell
n. countablen. the hard outer shell of a nut. It is most often used in the phrase 'in a nutshell' to mean saying something using only a few words.
n. the hard external covering of a nut. Frequently used in the idiomatic prepositional phrase 'in a nutshell' to indicate a concise summary of a complex situation.
In a nutshell, the plan is too expensive.
The CEO explained the company's new strategy in a nutshell during the brief morning meeting.
While the technical report spans over fifty pages, the executive summary provides the core findings in a nutshell for the board of directors.
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”).
Almost exclusively used in the fixed idiomatic phrase 'in a nutshell' when not referring to literal botany.
to put it in nutshellto put it in a nutshellThe idiom 'in a nutshell' requires the indefinite article 'a' before the noun.