what you see is what you get

• what-you-see-is-what-you-get

Originally a humorous allusion to a catchphrase popularized by comedian Flip Wilson on US TV in the 1960s.

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what you see is what you get

1. The image corresponds to the reality.
   • 1970, Tim Rice, Jesus Christ Superstar:

     What you see is what you get. No one's been disappointed yet.

   • 1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, New York, N.Y.: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page vii:

     With fresh material, taxonomic conclusions are leavened by recognition that the material examined reflects the site it occupied; a herbarium packet gives one only a small fraction of the data desirable for sound conclusions. Herbarium material does not, indeed, allow one to extrapolate safely: what you see is what you get […]

   • 2001 June 23, Sonic Team USA, Sonic Adventure 2, Sega, published 2001:

     Sonic: What you see is what you get! Just a guy that loves adventure! I’m Sonic the Hedgehog!

2. (idiomatic, computing) The screen image resembles the printed output.
   • 1983, Byte, volume 8, page 86:

     For:Word, like Wang's editing system, is an early approach to a what-you-see-is-what-you-get word processor.

• computing sense often used attributively.

• WYSIWYG