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- in black and white
in black and white
*in black and white
Fig. [of an agreement, contract, or statement] official, in writing or printing. (*Typically: be ~; get something ~.) I have it in black and white that I'm entitled to three weeks of vacation each year.
in black and white
1. in written or printed form Your offer sounds good, but I want you to put it in black and white.
2. as involving clear choices She tends to view the political world in black and white, with good guys and bad guys.
Etymology: based on the idea of black printing or writing on white paper
in black and white
written down I wouldn't have believed him capable of fraud, but there it was, in black and white.