cut and dried

== English == === Alternative forms === cut-and-dried (when modifying a noun), cut and dry (less common) === Etymology === First use appears c. 1643. Derives from herbs being cut and dried for sale, rather than fresh. === Adjective === cut and dried (not comparable) (idiomatic) Simple, straightforward, clear, or certain. Synonyms: clear cut, open-and-shut, res ipsa loquitur (idiomatic) Decided, not open to change. Synonyms: set, settled (idiomatic, obsolete) Lacking freshness or spontaneity. ==== Usage notes ==== In formal usage, the form cut and dried is more common than cut and dry, and the meaning is rather settled than clear, and mildly pejorative, following original usage and etymology. The sense of clear, straightforward may be influenced by clear cut, which may be preferred. ==== Collocations ==== ==== Translations ==== === See also === === References === cut and dry / cut and dried, Paul Brians, Common Errors in English Usage (2nd Edition, November, 2008) Re: cut and dried, ESC, January 06, 2001, The Phrase Finder Michael Quinion (2004), “Cut and dried”, in Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, →ISBN. “cut and dried”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. “cut-and-dried”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. “cut-and-dried”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN. “cut and dried”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present. “cut and dried, cut-and-dried, cut and dry, cut-and-dry”, in Google Books Ngram Viewer.