plain sailing

See synonyms for plain sailing on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Navigation. sailing on waters that are free of hazards or obstructions.: Compare plane sailing.

  2. an easy and unobstructed way, course, or plan: As an heir to a large fortune, he looked forward to financial plain sailing.

Origin of plain sailing

1
First recorded in 1800–10

Words Nearby plain sailing

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use plain sailing in a sentence

  • This was all plain sailing enough; the report was good enough to justify his exercising his option.

    The Angel of Pain | E. F. Benson

British Dictionary definitions for plain sailing

plain sailing

noun
  1. informal smooth or easy progress

  2. nautical sailing in a body of water that is unobstructed; clear sailing: Compare plane sailing

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with plain sailing

plain sailing

Easy going; straightforward, unobstructed progress. For example, The first few months were difficult, but I think it's plain sailing from here on. Alluding to navigating waters free of hazards, such as rocks or other obstructions, this term was transferred to other activities in the early 1800s.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.