Reader's question: But the ICANN chief declined to reveal the nuts and bolts of the applicants. Could you explain “nuts and bolts”?

My comments:

In other words, the ICANN did not give any details about who those applicants were.

“Nuts and bolts” is an American idiom. “Nuts” and “bolts” allude to the bits and pieces of a machine, i.e. the basic components of something.

This example, from the American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms:

They have lofty goals but don't specify the nuts and bolts of how to achieve them.

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loose ends

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On-again,off-again

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Zhang Xin has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.