What does the nutshell in “in a nutshell” stand for?

Question

I know the meaning of “in a nutshell” but do not know what “nutshell” or “nut” itself stands for in this idiom.

Since it is a metaphor, I would like to know what it recalls to the speakers/listeners’ mind whose first langage is English. Etymology of the idiom would also be greatly appreciated.

The underlying image is that you are reducing a complicated topic to something so small it will fit in a nutshell. – StoneyB — Damkerng T., Dec 17 '15 at 13:07
Thanks! Though I skimmed that question before posting mine, I didn't notice this comment... — cu39, Dec 17 '15 at 14:07
An example of a nutshell being used to mean a small space is Hamlet Act II, Scene 2, "I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space—were it not that I have bad dreams". — Steve Jessop, Dec 18 '15 at 00:19

score 15 · Answer 1 · answered Dec 17 '15 at 13:01

I think that by definition, idioms have to be understood in their entirety; the meaning of the idiom does not necessarily correspond to the meaning of the individual words.

However, a nutshell is the shell, or outer covering, of a nut. Like this:

Inside a nutshell is a very small space, where you couldn't put very much. If you were trying to put an explanation inside a nutshell, it would have to be a very small one! - so "in a nutshell" means "in a very small and simple way".

This is exactly what I picture. – Azor Ahai -him- Dec 18 '15 at 01:32 — Azor Ahai -him-, Dec 18 '15 at 01:32

score 15 · Accepted Answer · edited Dec 17 '15 at 16:38

15

The shell of a nut tends to be small and compact, which is why "in a nutshell" is used to mean "in a few words," or, more literally, "in a compact statement."

According to Wiktionary, the etymology is as follows:

A calque of Latin in nuce.

"Calque" means "a word for word translation," and "in nuce" means "in a nut" in Latin.

edited Dec 17 '15 at 16:38

Usernew

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answered Dec 17 '15 at 13:05

Jimmy S

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Ricky · Answer 3 · 2015-12-18T10:43:57.653

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According to some historical rumors, Pliny the Elder wrote that Cicero once found a copy of Homer's Iliad, written in minuscule letters compressed in a nutshell. Now the Iliad isn't particularly concise or anything, but that seems to be the origin of the concept as we know it today, if not the idiom itself. Here's a likeness of Pliny (AD 23- AD 79):

edited Dec 18 '15 at 10:43

answered Dec 17 '15 at 13:09

Ricky

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Do you mean "tiny" rather than "puny"? – psmears Dec 18 '15 at 10:40
@psmears: Minuscule, actually. – Ricky Dec 18 '15 at 10:44
Ah, that makes more sense :) – psmears Dec 18 '15 at 10:47
According to other historical rumours, Pliny the Elder wrote an awful lot of bull****. – Periata Breatta Jan 22 '17 at 06:43

What does the nutshell in “in a nutshell” stand for?

3 Answers3