in a nutshell

Calque of Latin in nuce.

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in a nutshell

1. (idiomatic) In summary; briefly or simply.

   He had a lot to say, but his answer, in a nutshell, was no.

   • 2019, Daniel Taylor, Lionel Messi magic puts Barcelona in command of semi-final with Liverpool (in The Guardian, 1 May 2019)

     Sadio Mané wasted a glorious chance in the first half and, late on, Mohamed Salah turned his shot against a post after a goal-line clearance had spun his way. That, in a nutshell, perhaps sums up the difference between Messi and the players on the next rung below – the ones who can be described as great footballers without necessarily being football greats.

   • 1902, Joseph Conrad, chapter I, in Heart of Darkness:

     The yarns of seamen have a direct simplicity, the whole meaning of which lies within the shell of a cracked nut.

• at the end of the day, in short; see also Thesaurus:in summary