Used to introduce a simplified explanation or summary of something complex; to express something in basic, easy-to-understand terms.
This phrase emerged in the 20th century as education and communication became more democratized. It reflects growing awareness of the need to make complex ideas accessible and acknowledges the speaker's role in choosing appropriate levels of complexity for their audience.
The phrase reveals our modern anxiety about complexity and accessibility - it's both an apology for oversimplification and a promise of clarity. Interestingly, it often precedes statements that aren't actually simple, serving more as a rhetorical bridge than a literal description of what follows.
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