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open-and-shut

[ oh-puhn-uhn-shuht ]
/ ˈoʊ pən ənˈʃʌt /
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See synonyms for open-and-shut on Thesaurus.com
adjective
immediately obvious upon consideration; easily decided: an open-and-shut case of murder.
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Origin of open-and-shut

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to open-and-shut

apparent, assured, clear, clear-cut, conclusive, easy, evident, explicit, glaring, guaranteed, in the bag, indisputable, obvious, ordinary, plain, routine, self-evident, self-explanatory, simple, straightforward

How to use open-and-shut in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for open-and-shut

open-and-shut
adjective
easily decided or solved; obviousan open-and-shut case
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with open-and-shut

open and shut

Simple, straightforward, easily solved, as in With three eyewitnesses, the prosecutor said this case was open and shut. This term suggests that one has immediate access to the facts of a situation. [c. 1840]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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