as in obvious
not subject to misinterpretation or more than one interpretation
an open-and-shut case of robbery
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Recent Examples of open-and-shut
Her payments were spotty, the lawyer said, but overall, the case had been open-and-shut.
—
Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 18 Mar. 2026
For what’s been characterized as an open-and-shut case, there are still a lot of questions about the slayings of Hollywood icon Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026
Lamar Jackson makes that an open-and-shut case.
—Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 6 Jan. 2026
As the years wore on, police and prosecutors released no updates to the public on why a case presented as open-and-shut was taking so long to reach a jury.
—Kyle Hopkins, ProPublica, 24 Dec. 2025
The killings initially appeared to be an open-and-shut case of murder-suicide, at the hands of Jeremy’s sister, Sheila.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
Especially after Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey, asked Tuesday afternoon to define Melvin’s status, declined to provide an open-and-shut answer.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
From the outset, this seemed like an open-and-shut case.
—Gemma Allen, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 18 Mar. 2026
For what’s been characterized as an open-and-shut case, there are still a lot of questions about the slayings of Hollywood icon Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026
Lamar Jackson makes that an open-and-shut case.
—Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 6 Jan. 2026
As the years wore on, police and prosecutors released no updates to the public on why a case presented as open-and-shut was taking so long to reach a jury.
—Kyle Hopkins, ProPublica, 24 Dec. 2025
The killings initially appeared to be an open-and-shut case of murder-suicide, at the hands of Jeremy’s sister, Sheila.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
Especially after Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey, asked Tuesday afternoon to define Melvin’s status, declined to provide an open-and-shut answer.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
From the outset, this seemed like an open-and-shut case.
—Gemma Allen, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for open-and-shut
Adjective
-
That was unusually blunt from the typically genial Pritzker, who’s mainly tried to keep a public lid on his obvious irritation with Johnson.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
-
Find the topic gaps nobody is filling Every niche has angles that are obvious in hindsight.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
Adjective
-
Serbia’s state railway company Saturday canceled all trains to and from Belgrade, in an apparent bid to prevent some people from coming from other parts of the country.—
Jovana Gec,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
-
Some travelers argued Carnival should honor the bookings despite the apparent pricing mistake.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
23 May 2026
Adjective
-
Jamie Gittens, too, is a straightforward winger and has had a difficult first season at Stamford Bridge, struggling for a place due to form and often fitness.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
-
Luxury credit cards are notorious for offering valuable benefits that are often less than straightforward.—
Jason Stauffer,
CNBC,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
The hero of Vidal’s novel is straightforwardly based on Hearst, while the wealthy, castle-dwelling Californian in Huxley’s novel bears a more veiled, but still unmistakable, resemblance to him.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
-
Having spent years working on exactly this problem, first in management consulting advising on AI strategy for large enterprises, and now building enterprise AI systems designed to keep institutional intelligence within the organization’s own infrastructure, the pattern is unmistakable.—
Raghav Ramabadran,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
Patricia Peck, a council member of Brazil’s Data Protection Authority and author of 46 books on law and technology, said the country’s executive and judicial branches have pushed for big techs to be proactive against crimes online despite evident stagnation of the debate in congress.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 May 2026
-
Finally, after my sister had been hacking away for three minutes or so, one man stood, stared, anger evident on his face, and stomped away.—
Tom Levenson,
Time,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
However, its clear, three-syllable song, often repeated during the breeding season, is easy to remember.—
Christopher Gangemi,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026
-
What’s clear in hearing Tuch talk is that the decision isn’t going to be solely about money.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
Adjective
-
With two distinct waves of iPhone 18 handsets arriving, Apple can leverage this to their advantage, bringing more users to the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max handsets, disrupting Android’s Mobile World Congress launch cycle, and giving the iPhone 18 a clear run as its consumer-friendly champion.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
-
Through a combination of archival footage, interviews with surviving contemporaries, and many, many photos, the film attempts to get to the bottom of Avedon’s distinct knack for capturing celebrities at their very best.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Open-and-shut.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/open-and-shut. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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