in black and white
/ɪn ˌblæk ən ˈwaɪt/NEUTRAL · B2
Meaning
written down, so it is official
Examples
- 1I won't believe the pay rise until I see it in black and white.
- 2The landlord promised to fix the boiler, so I asked him to put it in black and white.
- 3Get the refund promise in black and white, because phone calls are easy to forget.
- 4It's there in black and white in your contract: twenty-five days' holiday a year.
- 5Why didn't anyone put the new rules in black and white before the school trip?
Grammar
The phrase does not change, and the order is fixed: black comes first. Often after put something, see something or be there.
More idioms about colours
All 20 idioms and the topic quiz →a red flaga sign that something may be wrong or dangerousroll out the red carpetto welcome a guest in a very special waytickled pinkvery pleasedhave green fingersto be good at making plants growas white as a sheetvery pale because of shock, fear or illnesslike a red rag to a bullcertain to make someone very angry
English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
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