1
general::
Phrase(s): 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."
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs