1FOOD a dry brown fruit inside a hard shell, that grows on a tree: a selection of nuts a cashew nut2TOOL a small piece of metal with a hole through the middle, which is screwed onto a bolt to fasten things together: Use a wrench to tighten the nuts.3CRAZY PERSON informal someone who is crazy or behaves strangely: Oh, don’t be such a nut.4a golf/opera etc. nut informal someone who is very interested in golf, etc.SYN fanatic: Tina is a real health nut.5the nuts and bolts of something informal the practical details of a subject or job: the nuts and bolts of the banking system6a hard/tough nut (to crack) informal a difficult problem or situation, or a difficult person to deal with: The judge was known to be a tough nut to crack.[Origin: Old English hnutu] → see alsonuts1