Meaning & use
in black and white
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
Written or printed on paper, not just spoken or imagined.
Grammar: Used after 'be', 'have' or 'put': it's in black and white.
Patterns
- be in black and white
- have something in black and white
- put something in black and white
I want the offer in black and white before I sign anything.
The rules are there in black and white, so nobody can claim they didn't know.
Send it to me in black and white and I'll check the numbers.
phrasefixed phrase
Shown clearly in only two colors, usually black and white, with no shades between.
Grammar: Describes photographs, drawings or designs: a photo in black and white.
Patterns
- in black and white
- a photograph in black and white
The old photographs are all in black and white.
She printed the poster in black and white to save money.
phrasefixed phrasefigurative
Thinking in simple terms of right and wrong, with nothing in between.
Grammar: Often in the pattern 'see things in black and white'.
Patterns
- see things in black and white
- think in black and white
He sees everything in black and white, so he finds compromise difficult.
Children often think in black and white until they learn about gray areas.
Common combinations
- in black and white
- The agreement is in black and white, so we can't change it now.
- put something in black and white
- Put the terms in black and white so everyone understands them.
- see things in black and white
- My grandfather sees things in black and white and rarely changes his mind.
- a photo in black and white
- That photo in black and white won a prize.
- get it in black and white
- Get it in black and white, or they may deny saying it.
Synonyms and how they differ
- in writing
- The closest everyday equivalent; it means recorded on paper or in a document, without the image of ink colors.
- on paper
- Similar for plans and promises, but it can also mean 'in theory' rather than 'recorded'.
- monochrome
- A technical or artistic word for images in one color; it does not carry the 'official record' meaning.
Opposites
Word family
- black-and-white adjective
- Used before a noun: a black-and-white film, or a black-and-white view of right and wrong.
Commonly confused: in black and white or black and blue? in black and white or in black?
in black and white vs black and blue
Black and blue means covered in bruises from being hit; it has nothing to do with written records.
in black and white vs in black
'In black' just means wearing black clothes or printed in black ink, not a written agreement.
Practice
Before you pay a deposit, ask them to send the contract ______.
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase is 'in black and white', meaning written down. 'In black and blue' is about bruises, and 'black and white' alone cannot follow 'send the contract' as an adverbial phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “in black and white”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.