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does exactly what it...
does (exactly) what it says on the tin (saying)
used to say that something is as good or effective as it claims to be, or that it really does what it claims to do. This expression is especially used when you are comparing publicity and advertisements with actual products: This car is great. It does exactly what it says on the tin, it looks good and performs well. It’s comfortable, relatively quiet and does everything we wanted it for. 
I paid £150 for this camera and am more than happy with it. It does exactly what it says on the tin! This website does what it says on the tin! A great site for anyone interested in this period of history. The film is entertaining, so it does what it says on the tin, but personally I would much prefer to watch something with a bit more depth. One of the best action movies of last year, Swordfish, has arrived on DVD, and it claims to be bristling with extras. Entertainment Editor Paul Trueman takes a look to see if it does what it says on the tin.
The expression ‘does exactly what it says on the tin’ comes from a British television advertisement for woodcare products made by a company called Ronseal Ltd. (which is owned by the Sherwin-Williams Company), and they have registered it as a trademark for this type of product. However, as you can see from the examples it is now used for almost any product.
As is often the case, this expression is not fixed, and different words can be substituted for tin. Here are some common examples:
- This album has to be high on my list of recommendations for lovers of Irish music. As the man said, it does exactly what it says on the box.
- Emergency Undelete can recover files on Windows NT systems. Basically it does what it says on the can, so it’s definitely something you can install and hope you never need.
- What can I say about this bike? It does what it says on the packet really—it goes, brakes, changes gear and has excellent steering.
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Don’t forget to check out the new Oxford Idioms Dictionary for Learners of English, which contains over 10,000 idioms and expressions, often with their origins explained. It does exactly what it says on the tin! |
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