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

“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

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

Their purpose, as the name suggests, is to beautify the useful—an important and valued end, but limited in comparison to art pure and simple.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

Related Words

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