A no-brainer


What's the meaning of the phrase 'A no-brainer'?

Something that requires little mental effort or intelligence to perform or understand. The term is often applied to decisions which are straightorward or sometimes to people who appear to lack intelligence.

What's the origin of the phrase 'A no-brainer'?

‘No-brainer’ is American in origin and was first used there in the 1950s. The earliest example that I’ve found of its use in the sense of ‘requiring little mental effort’ is in this ‘The Berrys’ cartoon, by Carl Grubert, which appeared in the Long Beach Independent, December 1959:

The first example of the term with the meaning of ‘easily made decision’ is from the Canadian newspaper The Lethbridge Herald, January 1968, in a report on an ice hockey game:

He’d break in on a goalie and the netminder would make one of those saves that our manager-coach, Sid Abel, calls “a no-brainer.”

The application of ‘no-brainer’ to individuals came later, after the term was already well established; for example, this from Tom Alibrandi’s 1979 novel Killshot:

“I’ll unanimously be voted the no-brainer-of-the-month award.”

See other phrases that were coined in the USA.

Trend of a no – brainer in printed material over time

Gary Martin is a writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.
A no-brainer

Phrases & Meanings

A-Z

Categories

How did we do?

Have you spotted something that needs updated on this page? We review all feedback we receive to ensure that we provide the most accurate and up to date information on phrases.