“In a nutshell” indicates a drastically reduced summary.
Long before modern electronics, a few scholars made attempts at condensing massive literary works so they could be more easily stored.
It became an obsession to some to see just how small they could write.
For example, a copy of the Qur’an was reduced on a parchment measuring four inches by half an inch.
These copies were so small it was said they could be stored in a nutshell.
Related Posts
-
What Does the Expression “When My Ship Comes In” Mean and How Did the Idiom Originate?
During the nineteenth century, Bristol, England, was the busiest seaport in the world. While local sailors were at sea, tradesmen would extend credit to their wives until the very day their husband's ship…
-
How Did the Expression “Sitting On the Fence” For Someone Indecisive Originate and What Does the Idiom Mean?
During the Revolutionary War, a prominent New Jersey jurist, Judge Imlay, hadn't yet committed to either the revolutionaries or the loyalists. So when Washington encountered one of Imlay's slaves he asked him which…
-
What Does the Expression “Make No Bones About It” Mean and Where Did the Idiom Originate?
"Make no bones about it" means nothing has been left to chance. The "bones" of the expression refer to gambling dice, which for thousands of years were made of animal bone. The oldest…
-
Where Did the Idiom “Line In the Sand” For a Military Challenge Originate and What Does the Expression Mean?
The concept of a literal "line in the sand" was first created by a lone Roman senator who rode out to meet a Macedonian king at the head of an army poised to…
-
Where Did the Expression “Spinning a Yarn” When Telling a Tall Tale Originate and What Does the Idiom Mean?
If someone is "spinning a yam" they are exaggerating the truth. First printed about 1812, the expression is nautical and has nothing to do with domestic spinning. Sailors were required to spend long…
-
What Does the Expression “On a Wing and a Prayer” Mean and Where Did the Idiom Originate?
If someone is operating "on a wing and a prayer," whatever they are doing involves serious risk. The expression became popular with fliers on dangerous missions during World War II and was derived…
