the nuts and bolts
The most basic, fundamental, or essential aspects of something. Japanese is intimidating because of the written characters, but the nuts and bolts of the language are actually pretty straightforward. We came up with a lot of big ideas, but no one addressed the nuts and bolts of how to implement them.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
nuts and bolts
1. Fig. the mundane workings of something; the basics of something. (See also
get down to the nuts and bolts.)
I want you to learn how to write well. You have to know the nuts and bolts of writing. She's got a lot of good, general ideas, but when it comes to the nuts and bolts of getting something done, she's no good. 2. Sl. the subject of psychology in college. I took a class in nuts and bolts and didn't learn anything at all about what makes me tick. Tom is flunking nuts and bolts because he won't participate in the required "experiments."
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
nuts and bolts, the
The essential or basic aspects of something, as in They have lofty goals but don't specify the nuts and bolts of how to achieve them. This expression alludes to basic working components of machinery. [Mid-1900s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
nuts and bolts
the basic practical details of something. informalFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
the nuts and ˈbolts (of something)
(informal) the most important and practical details of something: Jim put together the nuts and bolts of the deal; I added the details. ♢ He worked there long enough to learn the nuts and bolts of the business. Nuts and bolts are small pieces of metal that are screwed together to fasten things together.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
nuts and bolts
1. n. the mundane workings of something; the basics of something. She’s got a lot of good, general ideas, but when it comes to the nuts and bolts of getting something done, she’s no good.
2. n. the subject of psychology in college. Tom is flunking nuts and bolts because he won’t participate in the required “experiments.”
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
nuts and bolts, the
The essential components of something. This allusion to basic machine parts, dating only from the mid-twentieth century, is mildly puzzling. Why nuts and bolts rather than nuts and screws, for example, or even wheels and gears? Whatever the ultimate reason, it is these two items that caught on. T. E. Allbeury used it in A Choice of Enemies (1973), “That’s pretty well a nuts and bolts area for us. We know it inside out.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer