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View synonyms for open-and-shut

open-and-shut

[ oh-puhn-uhn-shuht ]

adjective

  1. immediately obvious upon consideration; easily decided:

    an open-and-shut case of murder.



open-and-shut

adjective

  1. easily decided or solved; obvious

    an 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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of open-and-shut1

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45
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Idioms and Phrases

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]
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Example Sentences

This is not an open-and-shut case despite how many people would like to believe it is.

From Salon

Sounds like an open-and-shut case, but German director Ilker Çatak argues that the rules of integrity are as flimsy as the rules of surviving a horror flick.

As such, it would seem to be close to an open-and-shut case: If you want a healthy night's sleep, stay away from electronic devices in the period before you go to bed.

From Salon

So, this would appear to be an open-and-shut case.

It’s an open-and-shut case of bias by omission from the Fourth Estate: If you don’t see it and can’t read it, it doesn’t exist.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from 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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