pure and simple

Idioms  

1. No more and no less, plainly so, as in This so-called educational video is really a game, pure and simple. This expression is very nearly redundant, since pure and simple here mean “plain” and “unadorned.” Oscar Wilde played on it in The Importance of Being Earnest (1895): “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” [Second half of 1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pure and simple

That would be the choice of David Ellison, Paramount’s boss, pure and simple, which makes it more likely that he’s wielding the relocation option for leverage in settlement talks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

"It was expropriation, pure and simple," Schulz said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

“Nothing about these contracts is an investment. Nothing about them is a rational hedge for a financial position. They are pure and simple gambling vehicles running through a U.S. government-regulated exchange,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

This "constitutes, pure and simple, a form of cheating", the football governing body said at the time.

From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2026

It was alchemy, pure and simple; no one had ever imagined that such a thing could happen naturally and spontaneously.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

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Related Words

• authentic
• bright
• classic
• natural
• neat
• perfect
• plain
• real
• simple
• transparent
• true
• unadulterated

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