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open-and-shut
adjective
1
: perfectly simple : obvious
2
: easily settled
an open-and-shut case of grand larceny
Synonyms
Examples of open-and-shut in a Sentence
an open-and-shut case of robbery
Recent Examples on the Web
Running back is another open-and-shut case with the same projection from before camp.
—Joe Buscaglia, The Athletic, 9 Aug. 2024
Meanwhile, the case’s ambitious prosecutor Faith Killebrew (Toni Collette) has political aspirations riding on the trial, while the defendant’s attorney Eric Resnick (Chris Messina) tells her this is hardly an open-and-shut case.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2024
While everyone else sees an open-and-shut case, Justin’s life flashes before his eyes.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2024
The trial has developed from what initially seemed to investigators like an open-and-shut case into a reckoning with a criminal justice system the public no longer trusts.
—Aja Romano, Vox, 3 July 2024
Though the case seems open-and-shut to the lead detective (Bill Camp), the show initially aligns itself closely with the alleged perpetrator and his lawyer (John Turturro), only to raise troubling questions later.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2024
Variations in the gene’s expression would have provided a simple, open-and-shut way to explain how the evolutionary screws on rattlesnake motor neurons are adjusted.
—Quanta Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024
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.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
Such a journalistic scoop ought to be an open-and-shut case: publish, expose, let the authorities take action.
—Catherine Bray, Variety, 17 Feb. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near open-and-shut
Cite this Entry
“Open-and-shut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open-and-shut. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
open-and-shut
adjectiveˌōp-(ə-)nən-ˈshət
1
: perfectly plain : obvious
2
: easily settled
an open-and-shut case
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