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• tried-and-true
  tried-and-true

  adjective

  tested and found to be reliable or workable.
• tried and true
  tried and true

  Tested and proved to be worthy or reliable, as in Let me deal with it—my method is tried and true. [Mid-1900s]

tried-and-true

American  

[trahyd-n-troo] / ˈtraɪd nˈtru /

adjective

1. tested and found to be reliable or workable.

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tried and true Idioms  

1. Tested and proved to be worthy or reliable, as in Let me deal with it—my method is tried and true. [Mid-1900s]

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Usage

What does tried-and-true mean? Tried-and-true is used to describe things that are known to work or be reliable due to having been tested or having worked many times before. The term uses the sense of the word true meaning reliable and unfailing. Tried-and-true is most often used to describe methods, tools, or other things that someone believes to be reliable because they’ve used many times before and they’ve always worked. It’s often used in situations in which someone wants to continue using the same method or tool they’ve been using to do something instead of trying something new that they’re unfamiliar with (even if it may work better). It’s sometimes used without hyphens, as tried and true. However, if it’s used immediately before a noun, it’s usually hyphenated, as in a tried-and-true method for getting out stains. Example: Why should we try a new recipe for chocolate chip cookies when we could just stick to the one that’s tried-and-true and that we’ve used for years?

Etymology

Origin of tried-and-true

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

"Tried and true equals dead and buried," NBC Entertainment chief Brandon Tartikoff told a gathering of advertisers last spring.

From Time Magazine Archive

Tried and true, a thousand just like you all through the Academy and the Solar Guard.

From Stand by for Mars! by Glanzman, Louis

Related Words

• proven