nut (redirected from use a sledgehammer to crack a nut)

nut  (nt) n. 1. a. An indehiscent, hard-shelled, one-loculated, one-seeded fruit, such as an acorn or hazelnut. b. A seed borne within a fruit having a hard shell, as in the peanut, almond, or walnut. c. The kernel of any of these. 2. Slang a. A crazy or eccentric person. b. An enthusiast; a buff: a movie nut. 3. Informal A difficult endeavor or problem: Painting the closet was a tough nut to crack. 4. Slang The human head. 5. Music a. A ridge of wood at the top of the fingerboard or neck of a stringed instrument, over which the strings pass. b. A device at the lower end of the bow for a stringed instrument, used for tightening the hairs. 6. A small block of metal or wood with a central, threaded hole that is designed to fit around and secure a bolt or screw. 7. Slang a. The cost of launching a business venture. b. The operating expenses of a theater, theatrical production, or similar enterprise: "The [theater] has simply failed to attract enough paying customers per week to meet its nut" Variety. 8. Vulgar Slang A testicle. intr.v. nut·ted, nut·ting, nuts To gather or hunt for nuts. [Middle English nute, from Old English hnutu.] nutter n.

nut clockwise from top: T-nut, hex cap, wing, and hex nuts

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nut

Noun

1. a dry one-seeded fruit that grows inside a hard shell

2. the edible inner part of such a fruit

3. a small piece of metal with a hole in it, that screws on to a bolt

4. Slang an eccentric or insane person

5. Slang the head

6. Slang an enthusiast: a health nut

7. Brit a small piece of coal

8. do one's nut Brit & Austral slang to be very angry

9. a hard or tough nut to crack a person or thing that presents difficulties

See also nuts [Old English hnutu]

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NUT (in Britain & S Africa) National Union of Teachers

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nut  (nt)

A dry, indehiscent simple fruit consisting of one seed surrounded by a hard and thick pericarp (fruit wall). The seed does not adhere to the pericarp but is connected to it by the funiculus. A nut is similar to an achene but larger. Acorns, beechnuts, chestnuts, and hazelnuts are true nuts. Informally, other edible seeds or dry fruits enclosed in a hard or leathery shell are also called nuts, though they are not true nuts. For instance, an almond kernel is actually the seed of a drupe. Its familiar whitish shell is an endocarp found within the greenish fruit of the almond tree. Peanuts are actually individual seeds from a seed pod called a legume.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	nut - usually large hard-shelled seed edible nut - a hard-shelled seed consisting of an edible kernel or meat enclosed in a woody or leathery shell cedar nut, cembra nut - the seed of the Swiss pine cola nut, kola nut - bitter brown seed containing caffein; source of cola extract mast - nuts of forest trees (as beechnuts and acorns) accumulated on the ground palm kernel, palm nut - seed of any oil palm seed - a small hard fruit nutlet - a small nut
	2.	Nut - Egyptian goddess of the sky
	3.	nut - a small (usually square or hexagonal) metal block with internal screw thread to be fitted onto a bolt block - a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides); "the pyramids were built with large stone blocks" hex nut - a nut with a hexagonal shape locknut, safety nut - supplementary nut that is screwed down on a primary nut to prevent it from loosening nut and bolt - a fastener made by screwing a nut onto a threaded bolt square nut - nut with a square shape packing nut, stuffing nut - a nut used to tighten a stuffing box butterfly nut, thumbnut, wing screw, wing-nut, wing nut - a threaded nut with winglike projections for thumb and forefinger leverage in turning
	4.	nut - half the width of an em en linear measure, linear unit - a unit of measurement of length pica em, em, pica - a linear unit (1/6 inch) used in printing
	5.	nut - a whimsically eccentric person crackpot, fruitcake, nut case, screwball, crank eccentric, eccentric person, oddball, flake, geek - a person with an unusual or odd personality
	6.	nut - someone who is so ardently devoted to something that it resembles an addiction; "a golf addict"; "a car nut"; "a bodybuilding freak"; "a news junkie" addict, freak, junkie, junky enthusiast, partizan, partisan - an ardent and enthusiastic supporter of some person or activity gym rat - someone who spends all leisure time playing sports or working out in a gymnasium or health spa
	7.	nut - one of the two male reproductive glands that produce spermatozoa and secrete androgens; "she kicked him in the balls and got away" ballock, bollock, testicle, testis, orchis, egg, ball arteria testicularis, internal spermatic artery, testicular artery - a branch of the aorta supplying the testicles testicular vein, vena testicularis - a vein from the testicles male reproductive system - the reproductive system of males family jewels, male genital organ, male genitalia, male genitals - external male sex organs seminiferous tubule - any of the numerous long convoluted tubules in the testis which are the sites where spermatozoa mature gonad, sex gland - a gland in which gametes (sex cells) are produced cobblers - a man's testicles (from Cockney rhyming slang: cobbler's awl rhymes with ball) male reproductive gland - the reproductive organs of a man undescended testicle, undescended testis - a testis that fails to move into the scrotum as the male fetus develops; "undescended testicles have an increased risk for cancer" epididymis - a convoluted tubule in each testis; carries sperm to vas deferens rete testis - network of tubules carrying sperm from the seminiferous tubules to the vasa efferentia ductus deferens, vas deferens - a duct that carries spermatozoa from the epididymis to the ejaculatory duct spermatic cord - a structure resembling a cord that suspends the testis within the scrotum and contains the vas deferens and other vessels and nerves
Verb	1.	nut - gather nuts gather, pull together, collect, garner - assemble or get together; "gather some stones"; "pull your thoughts together"

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nut

noun 1. kernel, stone, seed, pip

noun 2. (Slang) madman, eccentric, flake (slang), chiefly U.S. psycho (slang) crank (informal) lunatic, maniac, loony (slang) nutter Brit. (slang) oddball (informal) crackpot (informal) wacko (slang) nutcase (slang) headcase (informal)

noun 3. (Slang) head, skull, noggin

Translations

NUT n abbr (BRIT) (= National Union of Teachers) → sindicato de profesores

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nut [nʌt] n (TECH) → tuerca;

(BOT) → nuez f

adj [chocolate etc] → con nueces;

nuts (CULIN) → frutos secos

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NUT n abbr (Brit) (= National Union of Teachers) → syndicat enseignant

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nut [nʌt] n [of metal] → écrou m (= fruit) (= walnut) → noix f: (= hazelnut); noisette f: (= peanut); cacahuète f (terme générique en anglais)

adj [chocolate etc] → aux noisettes;

he's nuts (inf) → il est dingue

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NUT (Brit) n abbr (= National Union of Teachers) → Lehrergewerkschaft

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nut [nʌt] n (Tech) → (Schrauben)mutter f;

(Bot) → Nuss f;

(inf) (= lunatic); Spinner(in) m(f)

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NUT n abbr (BRIT) (= National Union of Teachers) → sindacato nazionale degli insegnanti

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nut [nʌt] n [of metal] → dado;

(fruit) → noce f (or nocciola or mandorla etc)

adj [chocolate etc] → alla nocciola etc;

he's nuts (col) → è matto