in a nutshell

Definitions

In summary; briefly or simply.

idiomatic

Equivalents

Examples

“He had a lot to say⟳, but his answer⟳, in a nutshell, was no.”

“Sadio Mané wasted a glorious chance in the first half and, late on, Mohamed Salah turned his shot against a post⟳ after a goal-line clearance had spun his way. That, in a nutshell, perhaps sums up the difference between Messi and the players on the next rung below – the ones who can be described as great footballers without necessarily being football greats.”

“The yarns of seamen have⟳ a direct⟳ simplicity, the whole meaning of which lies within the shell of a cracked nut.”

CEFR level