Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective So obvious as to present no difficulties; easily settled or determined.
  • adjective New England & Southeastern New York Alternating between sunshine and clouds; having variable skies.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective informal, law simple and obvious; easily decided

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective so obvious as to be easily solved or decided

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word open-and-shut.

Examples

  • It’s just that the murder case against this Dorinda Dillon is so open-and-shut, which is fine with me.

    As Husbands Go Susan Isaacs 2010

  • It’s just that the murder case against this Dorinda Dillon is so open-and-shut, which is fine with me.

    As Husbands Go Susan Isaacs 2010

  • You'd think that match officials getting decisions right would be just about the most fundamental thing for a sport — and that any attempt to improve decision-making accuracy would be a non-negotiable, open-and-shut, black-and-white case.

    Technology Catches Up With Cricket Richard Lord 2011

  • Large-scale suits by individual shareholders have been rare in Japan up to this point, but lawyers say the apparently open-and-shut nature of the Olympus case could help re-shape investors' willingness to enforce their rights.

    Japan Retail Investors Mull Olympus Suit Options Kana Inagaki 2011

  • It looked like an open-and-shut case until the judge, suddenly and without explanation, announced that he was dismissing the allegations.

    Kill the Irishman Rick Porrello 2011

  • It looked like an open-and-shut case until the judge, suddenly and without explanation, announced that he was dismissing the allegations.

    Kill the Irishman Rick Porrello 2011

  • If stock charts were the equivalent of eyewitness testimony, St. Joe Co. would have an open-and-shut case against the companies responsible for the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

    Sneak Play Daniel Fisher 2011

  • In Bahrain, where many Shiites openly nurture cultural and religious ties to Iran, the Saudis saw the case as even more open-and-shut.

    The New Cold War Bill Spindle 2011

  • New England's Wes Welker seems to have an open-and-shut case for being the best slot receiver in league history, catching 554 passes in the five seasons since he joined the Patriots.

    NFL's Best Slot Receiver May Be Cruz, Not Welker 2012

  • It looked like an open-and-shut case until the judge, suddenly and without explanation, announced that he was dismissing the allegations.

    Kill the Irishman Rick Porrello 2011

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • "New England & Southeastern New York Alternating between sunshine and clouds; having variable skies."

    - American Heritage Dictionary

    August 6, 2010