{"id":10499,"date":"2022-11-16T22:55:37","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T22:55:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=10499"},"modified":"2022-11-16T22:55:37","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T22:55:37","slug":"black-and-white-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/black-and-white-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Black and White \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you looking for a way to tell someone that an issue isn\u2019t nuanced \u2014 and that there is a sharp divide between right and wrong? You could say it\u2019s \u201c<strong>black and white<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This post explores this fascinating phrase, which has several distinct meanings.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p>\u201c<strong>Black and white<\/strong>\u201d is the sharpest possible contrast, the contrast between pure light and its complete absence.<\/p>\n<p>Black-and-white dualism, a symbolic concept that has existed for centuries, uses this contrast to highlight the divide between right and wrong or good and evil.<\/p>\n<p>Incorporated into a phrase, \u201cblack and white\u201d can have three unique meanings:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Black and white can mean something is <strong>clear-cut <\/strong>\u2014 <u>one side is correct, and the other completely wrong<\/u>.<\/li>\n<li>Black-and-white <em>thinking<\/em> means <strong>rigid thinking and closed-mindedness<\/strong>; <u>a black-and-white thinker refuses to consider alternative viewpoints<\/u>.<\/li>\n<li><em>Putting<\/em> something in black and white means to <strong>commit it to paper<\/strong> \u2014 you may, for instance, make a verbal agreement with a real estate agent, and a contract puts the deal in black and white.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Less used definitions include \u201c<strong>a police car<\/strong>\u201d (black and white in some jurisdictions) and a <strong>black and white TV<\/strong>, which does not show color.<\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>The phrase \u201cblack and white\u201d can be used in several different ways. Take a look:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cMy opponent wants you to think gun rights are a complex issue, but in truth, nothing could be more <strong>black and white<\/strong>. We either introduce gun control or allow mass shootings to continue.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cMy autistic brother is a notoriously <strong>black-and-white<\/strong> thinker. If you do the dishes differently than he does, he thinks your way is wrong. He is incapable of considering there is more than one right way to do something.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWe have a deal, then! I\u2019ll put that in <strong>black and white<\/strong> for you, and we can move ahead.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The contrast between black and white has played an essential role in many cultures, stretching as far back as Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, and Ancient China. The concept has, as such, existed for <strong>thousands of years<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Symbolism relating to the contrast between these two colors is called <strong>black-and-white dualism<\/strong>. Black and white signify day and night, good and evil, right and wrong, and pure and corrupt.<\/p>\n<p>As an idiomatic phrase, \u201cblack and white\u201d means <strong>a sharp contrast<\/strong>, a clear divide between opposing ideas. When something is black and white, there is little to no nuance.<\/p>\n<p>You can also accuse someone of black-and-white thinking. In this case, you believe that nuance exists, but <strong>the rigid thinker cannot see it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, the phrase \u201c<strong>to put something in black and white<\/strong>\u201d means committing an agreement to paper, usually in the form of a contract.<\/p>\n<p>This phrase has an entirely different origin. Paper is white, and printed words almost always appear in black lettering. \u201cPutting something in black and white\u201d refers to this fact.<\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to Black and White<\/h2>\n<p>Are you looking for similar expressions? One of these may fit:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Clear-cut <\/strong>\u2014 meaning an issue is well defined, and the truth or right course of action is apparent.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Put in writing<\/strong> \u2014 you can use this phrase instead of \u201cput in black and white.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to Black and White<\/h2>\n<p>Gray is the opposite of \u201cblack and white.\u201d So if you believe there is no right or wrong answer and a question is complex, you can speak of \u201c<strong>shades of gray<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A <strong>flexible<\/strong> or <strong>pragmatic<\/strong> person is the opposite of a black-and-white thinker. You can also say such a person is <strong>open-minded<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>What Is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<p>The correct saying is \u201c<strong>black and white<\/strong>.\u201d It usually means a clear divide between two opposing sides.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPutting something in black and white\u201d means putting it in writing.<\/p>\n<h2>Ways People May Say Black and White Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>Black-and-white dualism plays a role in many cultures. English learners should remember that \u201cblack and white\u201d doesn\u2019t only mean \u201cright vs wrong.\u201d It can also simply mean a sharp contrast between two sides.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase Black and White<\/h2>\n<p>You can use \u201cblack and white\u201d where the phrase \u201cclear-cut\u201d would also make sense.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>You could call someone who isn\u2019t willing to consider other views a black-and-white thinker, and if you\u2019re asking someone to put an agreement in writing, you can invite them to \u201cput it in black and white.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Are you looking for a way to tell someone that an issue isn\u2019t nuanced \u2014 and that there is a sharp divide between right and wrong? You could say it\u2019s \u201cblack and white.\u201d This post explores this fascinating phrase, which has several distinct meanings. Meaning \u201cBlack and white\u201d is the sharpest possible contrast, the contrast [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10499"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10499"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10499\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10500,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10499\/revisions\/10500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}