What about, an idiom stemming from, say, get the nut out of its shell? Often a solution can be difficult to find, especially if the problem is complex and you don't have the know-how or the right tools.
Note, in the past, specifically in the South, people, especially men, would sit around discussing solutions to important matter while "shucking" (usage?) [pea]nuts. Possibly, the idiom "nut it out" hails from those days
It's a thought.