open-and-shut
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That made this an open-and-shut case, except nothing’s ever that way with Musk.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
Our reviewer, Steven Poole, wrote that “the book proceeds like a convoluted murder mystery, introducing one suspect after another in what seems like an open-and-shut case, before puncturing the promising narrative with an inconvenient fact.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
The saddest of operas, “Ainadamar” is not a tragic opera, not an opera of open-and-shut endings, but one of open-ended endings.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2025
This is not an open-and-shut case despite how many people would like to believe it is.
From Salon ● May 15, 2024
But when it comes to cause and effect, there is often a trap in such open-and-shut thinking.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
Vocabulary lists containing open-and-shut
Obvious
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Obvious
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