it goes without saying

It is unambiguous, perfectly clear, or self-evident (that something is the case); it is already widely acknowledged, established, or accepted (that something is the case). I know it goes without saying, but the staff restrooms are not to be used by students or visitors. It should go without saying, but you will receive an automatic zero if you are caught cheating on the exam. In a delicate situation like this, it goes without saying that discretion is of the essence.

that goes without saying

What was just said is or should be unambiguous, perfectly clear, or self-evident; what was just said is or should be already widely acknowledged, established, or accepted. A: "If we're going to be handling hazardous materials, then everyone must wear protective clothing and equipment." B: "Of course, that goes without saying." You will receive an automatic zero if you are caught cheating on the exam—that goes without saying.

it goes without saying

COMMON You say it goes without saying to mean that something is obviously true. It goes without saying that if someone has lung problems they should not smoke. It goes without saying that you will be my guest until you leave for Africa.

it ˌgoes without ˈsaying (that...)

that ˌgoes without ˈsaying

it is obvious, already known or natural (that...): Of course I’ll visit you in hospital. It goes without saying! ♢ ‘You realize that this is a very responsible job, don’t you?’ ‘Yes, that goes without saying.’

goes without saying, it/that

It/that is a matter of course, so generally accepted that it need not be stated at all. This expression, which often is followed by exactly what supposedly need not be said, is a translation of the French proverb Cela va sans dire, which at first was directly adopted into English and later was translated (in the last half of the nineteenth century). “It goes without saying that the books are not ordinary ones,” appeared in an issue of a literary journal in 1897.