1. the hard outer covering of a nut
2. a very brief summary or the most basic facts
Usage: used in the phrase ‘in a nutshell’

Examples

• The walnut nutshell was too hard to crack with my hands.
• She threw the empty nutshells into the compost bin.
• In a nutshell, the meeting was about budget cuts.
• Can you explain the theory in a nutshell?
• The whole situation, in a nutshell, is quite complicated.
• He gave us the plan in a nutshell before the presentation.
• The book’s main argument can be summarized in a nutshell.