in black and white
in black and white :
beat someone black and blue
hit someone so severely that they are covered in bruises.
be in someone's black books
be in disfavour with someone.
Although a black book was generally an official book in which misdemeanours and their perpetrators were noted down, this phrase perhaps originated in the black bound book in which evidence of monastic scandals and abuses was recorded by Henry VIH's commissioners in the 1530s, before the suppression of the monasteries.
beyond the black stump
beyond the limits of settled and therefore civilized, life - Australian
This phrase comes from the custom of using a fire-blackened stump of wood as a marker when giving directions to travelers.
black box
an automatic apparatus, the internal operations of which are mysterious to non-experts.
Black does not refer to the colour of the device but to the arcane nature of its functions. Originally Royal Air Force slang for a navigational instrument in an aircraft, the phrase is now used in aviation specifically to refer to the flight recorder.
a black mark against someone
something that someone has done that is disliked or disapproved of by other people.
The literal meaning of the phrase is a black cross or spot marked against the name of a person who has done something wrong.
a black report against someone
something that someone has done that is disliked or disapproved of by other people.
The literal meaning of the phrase is a black cross or spot marked against the name of a person who has done something wrong.
the black sheep
a person considered to have brought discredit upon a family or other group
a bad character
a black spot
a place that is notorious for something especially a high crime or accident rate
1992 - Radio Times - Jonathon Porritt meets the green warriors who are spearheading campaigns to clean up some of the world's worst pollution black spots.
in the black
not owing any money
solvent
in black and white
in writing or in print and regarded as more reliable than by word of mouth
in terms of clearly defined opposing principles or issues
not as black as you are painted
not as bad as you are said to be – Informal
The proverb the devil is not as black as he is painted, first recorded in English in the mid 16th century, was used as a warning not to base your fears of something on exaggerated reports.
in black and white :
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