nuts and bolts

noun

1

: the working parts or elements

2

: the practical workings of a machine or enterprise as opposed to theoretical considerations or speculative possibilities

nuts-and-bolts

ˈnəts-ən(d)-ˈbōlts 

adjective

Synonyms

• ropes
• brass tacks

Examples of nuts and bolts in a Sentence

the nuts and bolts of the merger of the two companies have yet to be worked out

Recent Examples on the Web

The huge amounts of space junk in orbit, ranging from nuts and bolts to rocket fairings and dead satellites, pose a serious hazard to satellites and the International Space Station, which has to regularly take evasive action to dodge space shrapnel, much of which is moving faster than a bullet. —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2025

Getting down to nuts and bolts, the pop-top Globebus, identified by Dethleffs as a concept camper, features a fiberglass pop-up wedge roof with fabric tent walls surrounding an oblong 234 x 133-cm (92 x 52-in) double bed with cold foam mattress. —New Atlas, 13 Sep. 2025

The job gave him a taste for counterculture comedy and the nuts and bolts of indie production. —Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2025

Outside of the nuts and bolts, the app offers some fun tricks. —Tyler Hayes, PC Magazine, 27 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for nuts and bolts

• kilovolts
• microvolts
• millivolts
• colts
• jolts
• molts
• moults
• poults
• smolts
• volts
• revolts