Nutshell

For other uses, seeNutshell (disambiguation).

A walnut kernel and its shell

Anutshellis the outer shell of anut.Most nutshells are inedible and are removed before eating the nut meat inside. It covers and protects thekernel,which may be edible.

Usage

Most nutshells are useful to some extent, depending on the circumstances.Walnutshells can be used for cleaning and polishing, as a filler indynamite,and as a paint thickening agent.Shells frompecans,almonds,Brazil nuts,acorns,and most other nuts are useful incomposting.Their highporositymakes them also ideal in the production ofactivated carbonbypyrolysis.Shells can also be used as loose-fill packing material, to protect fragile items in shipping.

Idiomatic usage

The expression "in a nutshell" (of a story, proof, etc.) means "inessence",metaphoricallyalluding to the fact that the essence of the nut - itsediblepart - is contained inside its shell. The expression further gave rise to thejournalistictermnut graph,short fornutshell paragraph.

InHamlet(Act 2, Scene 2) the title character exclaims: "O God, I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a King of infinite space".

Pliny the Eldermentioned in the encyclopedicNaturalis historiaa report byCicerosaying that a handwritten version of theIliadbyHomerwould have fit in a nut[shell]:"in nuce inclusam Iliadem Homeri carmen in membrana scriptum tradi

External links

• "How to Compost Peanut Shells".gardenguides.
• "Nutshell".Merriam-Webster Dictionary.Merriam-Webster.