nuts and bolts

American

noun

the essential or basic aspects.

to learn the nuts and bolts of a new job.

nuts and bolts British

plural noun

informal the essential or practical details

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

nuts-and-bolts adjective

Etymology

Origin of nuts and bolts

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Also, that the nuts and bolts for the on-board camera are screwed tight.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026

His focus on nuts and bolts makes him a popular blue governor in a very red state.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026

All part of the nuts and bolts at a leading Premier League club in 2025.

From BBC • Nov. 13, 2025

In turn, those qualities dictate the nuts and bolts of an actual intervention strategy.

From Science Daily • Nov. 26, 2024

There were small nuts and bolts, and screws, and tiny fragments of metal and rubber.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023