De cajón

it's obvious; **it's obvious**; **it's a no-brainer**; **it goes without saying**; **it's self-evident**; **it's plain to see**

De cajón means obvious, self-evident, a no-brainer, clear as day, or something that goes without saying.

It describes conclusions or facts that require no explanation.

• the answer is obvious
• the conclusion is inevitable
• something is completely predictable
• there is only one logical option
• everyone already knows the answer

It grew naturally out of everyday colloquial speech.

One popular explanation relates the expression to objects kept in a drawer because they are always available when needed.

From this idea developed the figurative meaning of something so obvious or certain that it is immediately accessible to anyone's reasoning.

Although its precise history is unclear, the idiom has been widely used in Spain for many decades.

The expression is often used to emphasise that someone should have realised something.

For that reason, depending on the tone, it may sound slightly critical toward a person who failed to notice what everyone else considered obvious.

Spanish has several expressions for obvious facts:

• De cajón → obvious.
• De libro → textbook, absolutely typical.
• Como dos y dos son cuatro → as sure as two plus two makes four.
• No tiene vuelta de hoja → there is no doubt about it.

Among them, de cajón is one of the most frequently used in informal Spanish because it is short, expressive and immediately conveys that something should be obvious to everyone.

Do not translate the expression literally.

English speakers would never say:

It's from the drawer.

Instead, use expressions such as:

• It's obvious.
• It's a no-brainer.
• It goes without saying.
• It's self-evident.

Choose the translation according to the level of emphasis.