nuts and bolts

Definitions

The basic inner workings of something; the fundamentals; that which makes something operate.

idiomatic, plural, plural-only

Equivalents

Examples

“It's really not so hard, once you know⟳ the nuts and bolts of the editing process⟳.”

“Perhaps those who analyze the prospects for government in an Islamic state based on the works of these theorists forget⟳ that, after the revolution, lofty ideals and Utopias are discarded for the nuts and bolts of day-to-day governing.”

“It also involves working with the nuts and bolts of management and leadership.”

“The information presented in the previous chapters gives the nuts and bolts of the most common and basic techniques used to prove⟳ the truth of mathematical results.”

CEFR level