The phrase, cut-and-dried, has several meanings. The oldest meaning is “already fully prepared” but today, it is often interpreted as unambiguous, “according to plan”, formalized, etc. It means that there is nothing left to chance, questioning, or creativity. Like a mathematical procedure.
The original meaning, in 17th Century England, was based on the use of herbs for medicine. One could buy herbs fresh, or cut-and-dried—already prepared for use.
Today we use cut-and-dry (or dried) to describe procedures, rules, methods, or answers to questions:
Some procedures in Calculus are not cut-and-dried; they may require creativity.
This phrase was first used in the literature of 18th Century England, such as by Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver’s Travels.
More Cut-and-dried Used in a Sentence
- Even the most cut–and–dried divorces are not easy.
- The divide between different meanings of “dinner” is not cut-and-dried based on either geography or socioeconomic class
- There’s no cut-and-dried legal framework for convicting people of DDoS attacks since the crime is fairly new.
- “Plagiarism is not a cut-and-dried issue,” she added.
- Some cases are cut and dried; this is not one of them.