In a Nutshell – Meaning, Origin & Usage

You could be having a conversation about absolutely anything, and seemingly out of nowhere, someone starts mentioning nutshells. If you don’t know what that’s all about, I’m happy to tell you that you’ve come to the perfect place…

In this article, we’ll cover what the phrase means, how it originated, how to best use the phrase, and even some alternative phrases that you can use in its place.

And without further ado, let’s get straight to it…

What is the meaning of the phrase ‘in a nutshell’?

The meaning of the phrase ‘in a nutshell’ is easy to grasp when you imagine a written thought that’s so compact that it can be compacted small enough to fit within a nutshell. This is because the phrase ‘in a nutshell’ literally means ‘succinct enough to fit in a nutshell’.

What is the origin of the phrase ‘in a nutshell’?

The phrase ‘in a nutshell’ is particularly old, dating as far back as the first century AD when it appeared in an ancient story written by the Roman scholar Pliny the Elder in the book Natural History. In the story, the philosopher finds a famous poem, specifically Homer’s epic poem The Iliad enclosed within the shell of a walnut on a piece of parchment.

Pliny the Elder believed that if important documents were folded and inserted into walnut shells and bound to make them waterproof, they could be taken long distances without fear of them getting damaged.

The phrase ‘in a nutshell’ later became immortalised when the world’s greatest playwright William Shakespeare used the phrase in his play Hamlet which was published in the year 1603 where Hamlet says ‘I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams.’

That said however, the phrase wasn’t associated with its current meaning until later, 

In the year 1841 the phrase was used by the British novelist William Thackeray in the book titled The Second Funeral of Napoleon, where he wrote ‘Here, then, in a nutshell, you have the whole matter’.

How do you use the phrase ‘in a nutshell’?

The phrase ‘in a nutshell’ is casual and informal, although it can also be used in business contexts in order to give a more light-hearted feel to a presentation or meeting.

The phrase ‘in a nutshell’ is in itself neutral, and it’s suitable for use in both personal and professional contexts. That said however, you are free to follow the phrase up with an opinion that doesn’t have to be neutral. Or you can follow it up with facts and/or evidence.

The phrase is most often used to introduce a conclusion to an argument, debate, or essay, but it doesn’t have to be used in this fashion. The phrase ‘in a nutshell’ can also be used as an introduction to an entire argument or debate. To do this, you can simply say ‘in a nutshell’ followed by your main point, which is in turn followed by points to back up your argument.

Alternatively, you often can phrase something so well succinctly that you don’t need to add further points to back up your main point. Or if you don’t want to have to repeat a long story.

What are some other ways of saying ‘in a nutshell’?

There are several words and phrases that you can use in place of ‘in a nutshell’  if you’re speaking with someone who might be unfamiliar with English idioms. Here follows several examples for you to consider using:

• In conclusion
• To conclude
• Briefly
• In short
• To sum up
• In summary
• Long story short
• To cut a long story short
• In brief
• In essence
• Basically
• In a word
• To come to the point
• The point is
• To put it concisely
• The bottom line is
• Concisely put
• Briefly put
• In a few words
• Expressed succinctly
• Finally
• So
• To review
• Overall
• In the end
• With this in mind
• To summarise
• In closing
• In light of these facts
• For the most part
• At the end of the day
• To put it succinctly
• For all intents and purposes
• By and large
• Therefore
• Thus
• Essentially
• Indeed
• Altogether
• All things considered
• To conclude
• Ultimately
• Here’s a summary
• The fundamental point/s is/are
• The short and sweet version is

Final word

So, in summary, the phrase ‘in a nutshell’ means ‘to put something succinctly’. The phrase is used most frequently to introduce a conclusion to an argument. That said, the phrase can also be used to avoid going into a long argument or story.

The phrase can be used in a wide variety of different contexts, but if you’re speaking with someone who may be unfamiliar with English idioms, there are lots of alternative words and phrases that you can use instead.