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• cut-and-dried
  cut-and-dried

  adjective

  prepared or settled in advance; not needing much thought or discussion.
• cut and dried
  cut and dried

  Ready-made, predetermined and not changeable. For example, The procedure is not quite cut and dried—there's definitely room for improvisation. This expression originally alluded to herbs for sale in a shop, as opposed to fresh, growing herbs. [c. 1900]

cut-and-dried

American  

[kuht-n-drahyd] / ˈkʌt nˈdraɪd /

Or cut-and-dry

adjective

1. prepared or settled in advance; not needing much thought or discussion.

   a cut-and-dried decision.

2. lacking in originality or spontaneity; routine; boring.

   a lecture that was cut-and-dried.

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cut and dried Idioms  

1. Ready-made, predetermined and not changeable. For example, The procedure is not quite cut and dried—there's definitely room for improvisation. This expression originally alluded to herbs for sale in a shop, as opposed to fresh, growing herbs. [c. 1900]

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Etymology

Origin of cut-and-dried

First recorded in 1700–10

Example Sentences

Details from this month’s meeting showed that the Bank’s committee voted 7-2 to hold rates, but the result was not as cut and dried as it had been previously.

From BBC • Jun. 20, 2024

John Pelissero, a former interim college president who now works for the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, said instances of plagiarism deserve to be evaluated individually and that it’s not always so cut and dried.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 2, 2024

But how much blame they should shoulder this time is less cut and dried.

From New York Times • Apr. 1, 2023

A number of people have popularized the term “wicked problem,” meaning it’s not mathematically cut and dried.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2022

Well, it turns out things weren’t that cut and dried.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell