Definition
Clearly written down or documented; presented in a straightforward, unambiguous manner without room for interpretation.
Etymology
This phrase originates from the era of print media when text was literally printed in black ink on white paper. By the 19th century, it had evolved metaphorically to mean anything that was clearly documented or unambiguous, contrasting with verbal agreements or unclear situations.
Kelly Says
The phrase taps into our psychological association of written documentation with permanence and truth - there's something about seeing words 'in black and white' that makes them feel more official and binding than spoken words. Even in our digital age, we still use this print-era metaphor for clarity and definitiveness.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
ጥቁር ብር
tiq-kur bir
ARالعربية
أبيض وأسود
ab-yad wa as-ood
BNবাংলা
কালো সাদা
ka-lo sa-da
CACatalà
negre i blanc
neh-gre ee blahn
CSČeština
černě bíle
cher-neh bee-leh
DADansk
sort-hvid
sort-h-veed
DEDeutsch
schwarz auf weiß
shvarts awf veiss
ELΕλληνικά
μαύρο-λευκό
maw-ro-lev-ko
ESEspañol
por escrito
por eh-skri-toh
FAفارسی
سیاه و سفید
see-ah va se-fehd
FISuomi
mustavalko
mus-ta-va-l-ko
FRFrançais
noir sur blanc
nwar soor blahn
GUGU
કાળા અને સફેદ
ka-la ane sa-fehd
HAHA
rai da tsayi
rai da ts-ai
HEעברית
שחור לבן
sho-chor lev-en
HIहिन्दी
काले और सफ़ेद
ka-le aur sa-fehd
HUMagyar
fekete-fehér
feh-ke-teh-feh-ehr
IDBahasa Indonesia
hitam putih
hee-tam poo-teet
IGIG
ọkpụrụ ọkpụrụ
oh-kpụ-ru oh-kpụ-ru
ITItaliano
in bianco e nero
in by-an-ko eh neh-roh
KMKM
ខ្មៅ ព្រះ
kha-mou prah
KO한국어
검은색과 흰색
geum-eun-saeg-gwa hwi-chaeg
MRMR
काळ आणि सफेद
kaal ane sa-fehd
MSBahasa Melayu
hitam putih
hee-tam poo-teet
MYမြန်မာ
ရှားကြာ
ya-shar kya
NLNederlands
in zwart-wit
in zwart-veet
NONorsk
svarthvit
svar-th-veet
PAPA
ਕਾਲੇ ਅਤੇ ਸਫੇਦ
ka-le a-leh sa-fehd
PLPolski
na czarno
na cha-r-no
PTPortuguês
em preto e branco
em preh-toh e brahn-koh
RORomână
negru pe alb
neh-gru pe alb
RUРусский
черным по белому
cher-nym po bel-omu
SVSvenska
svartvitt
svar-t-vitt
SWKiswahili
nyeusi nyeupe
ny-e-usi ny-e-upe
TAதமிழ்
கருப்பு வெள்ளை
kar-puppu vel-lai
TEతెలుగు
검은색과 흰색
geum-eun-saeg-gwa hwi-chaeg
TLTL
itim puti
ee-tim poo-tee
TRTürkçe
siyah beyaz
see-yah be-yaz
UKУкраїнська
чорно-білим
chor-no-bee-lim
URاردو
سیاہ سفید
see-ah swee-fead
VITiếng Việt
đen trắng
den trahn
YOYO
ọ̀fọ̀ ọ̀fọ̀
oh-foh oh-foh
ZUZU
emnyama emnyama
em-ny-ama em-ny-ama