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

Money, pure and simple, is a main reason.

From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026

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

From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026

They lost because of their clueless campaign, pure and simple.

From Salon • Nov. 19, 2024

That claim may have been accepted by some people who should know better, but it’s fakery, pure and simple.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2023

To her way of thinking, they were a team, pure and simple, and she gave without counting the cost.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Related Words

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