in a nutshell
/ɪn ə ˈnʌtʃel/NEUTRAL · B2
Meaning
very briefly, giving only the main points
Examples
- 1In a nutshell, the plan is to save money by cooking at home more often.
- 2Can you tell me in a nutshell what the film is about?
- 3The meeting lasted two hours, but in a nutshell, nothing is going to change.
- 4Her twenty-page report says, in a nutshell, that the shop should close on Sundays.
- 5Without all the details, the story in a nutshell is that we missed the last train.
Grammar
A fixed phrase: keep in a. Also as put something in a nutshell or to put it in a nutshell.
More idioms about food
All 20 idioms and the topic quiz →the icing on the cakesomething extra that makes a good situation even bettersell like hot cakesto be bought quickly by a lot of peoplewalk on eggshellsto be very careful not to upset someonemake your mouth waterto create a strong desire to eat through the sight, smell or thought of foodput all your eggs in one basketto rely completely on a single plan or chancebite off more than you can chewto try to do more than you are able to manage
English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
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