The Adelaide Advertiser published
an article in their Cruise News section on 22 January 2017 with the headline:
Best way to see Norway in a nutshell. What does ‘in a nutshell’ mean?
The American Heritage Dictionary of
Idioms (2003) defines ‘in a nutshell’ as ‘concisely, in a few words.’ It adds
that the phrase originated from the Roman writer, Pliny, when he described
Homer’s Iliad ‘being copied in so
tiny a hand that it could fit in a nutshell.’ A nutshell is the shell of a nut,
usually a walnut with a domed shell.
Urban Dictionary defines ‘in a
nutshell’ as ‘summed up’ or ‘condensed.’ The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as
‘using as few words as possible.’
The article is brief. It is a brief
163 words. The article mentions huskies, reindeer, and the northern lights in Norway. And ‘soaring
mountains, deep fjords and quaint villages only accessible by sea.’ Also
mentioned is the ‘Norway in a Nutshell’ tour for three nights.
Scorecard for the Adelaide
Advertiser headline is 100%. The cruise announcement is brief and to the point,
using as few words as possible, while also mentioning the Norway in a Nutshell
tour. In a nutshell, I’m condensing this article too.
MARTINA NICOLLS is an international
aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of
Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet
(2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).
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