signed, sealed, and delivered

Officially approved or verified; successfully executed or completed. Once the contract is signed, sealed, and delivered, we'll send an engineer to the house to set up the new satellite dish. The deal between the two companies has been signed, sealed, and delivered.

See also: and, deliver

signed, sealed, and delivered

Fig. formally and officially signed; [for a formal document to be] executed. Here is the deed to the property—signed, sealed, and delivered. I can't begin work on this project until I have the contract signed, sealed, and delivered.

See also: and, deliver

signed, sealed, and delivered

Completed satisfactorily, as in The house is sold-signed, sealed, and delivered. This idiom refers to a legal deed, which to be valid had to be signed by the seller, sealed with a wax seal, and delivered to the new owner. It began to be used more loosely in the first half of the 1900s.

See also: and, deliver

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

signed, sealed, and delivered (or signed and sealed)

formally and officially agreed and in effect.

See also: and, deliver

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

ˌsigned, ˌsealed and deˈlivered

ˌsigned and ˈsealed

definite, because all the legal documents have been signed: At the conference they hope to have a treaty signed, sealed and delivered by Tuesday.

signed, sealed, and delivered

Satisfactorily completed. This nineteenth-century term originally described a legal document, specifically a deed, which in order to be valid had to be signed, sealed with a wax seal, and delivered to the new owner. Sir Walter Scott so used it in Rob Roy (1818): “How does Farmer Rutledge? . . . I hope you found him able to sign, seal and deliver.” In the twentieth century the expression began to be used more loosely.

See also: and, deliver

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References in periodicals archive

The Rugby Paper linked Wilson with a loan move to Wasps or Sale Sharks while the Falcons are playing in the Championship, a rumour that gathered strength this week when Jim Hamilton claimed Wilson to Wasps was a 'signed, sealed and delivered' on the Rugby Pod.

Wilson linked with switch from Falcons; WASPS IN BRIEF

And he refuses to get too excited until the safety of his old club is "signed, sealed and delivered".

Jefferies: I feared Gorgie meltdown after Rangers went bust

The last Labour Government had plenty of time between 2007 and 2010, after the contract was first awarded, to have the project "signed, sealed and delivered".

Labour could have saved St Athan; FEEDBACK

Currently, just about every human resource and most of the technology at the company's studio in the Rainbow Centre mall's office tower are dedicated to getting Yam Roll signed, sealed and delivered.

Studio adds 50 jobs with new series

I was on holiday and had got the papers kept for me and when I got back I read that it was virtually signed, sealed and delivered. However, that is not the case."

Football: Totten gets a shock

The deal is not signed, sealed and delivered, but "As a result of this [IDA action], we are committed, pending the approval of the benefits," said Kenneth Cooper, vice president of facilities and administration for the television programmer.

New Year's help offered to big tenants

SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERED: Ex-England second row Nigel Redman (fourth left) pictured with Barkers Butts coaches and officials (from left) Jon Barber, Richard Kinnersly, Alison Quigley, Mark Richardson and Jim Quigley

RUGBY UNION: Butts' seal of approval

Our target is still mid- November," at which time he expects everything to be "signed, sealed and delivered."

Power to empower communities. (Aboriginal Business)

"Nothing would please me more than to bring the team back home to Dublin for next month's game against Romania with the second place in this group signed, sealed and delivered."

Shout for our boys

(ATLANTA, GEORGIA) - No sooner had REW touched down in this town of unique skyscrapers than we got a call from a relieved Peter Malkin, who said the long-awaited K-Mart deal at One Penn Plaza is signed, sealed and delivered. If you recall, it wasn't K-Mart that was holding up the process.

K-Mart deal sealed at One Penn Plaza

While a lease for 140,000 square feet on four levels of the 57-story One Penn Plaza was signed, sealed and delivered on December 7th to great fanfare, the bottom floor of the store is located on the concourse level of the LIRR Station, and thus requires a final approval of certain easements by the MTA.

Kmart lease not in jeopardy