plain as day

Idioms  

1. Also, plain as the nose on your face. Very obvious, quite clear, as in It's plain as day that they must sell their house before they can buy another, or It's plain as the nose on your face that she's lying. These similes have largely replaced the earlier plain as a packstaff or pikestaff, from the mid-1500s, alluding to the stick on which a peddler carried his wares over his shoulder. The first term, from the late 1800s, is probably a shortening of plain as the sun at midday; the variant dates from the late 1600s.

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Example Sentences

“It wasn’t a squirrel. It was a monkey—an honest-to-goodness live monkey. I saw it plain as day.”

From Literature

“He was just standing out there in the storm with his long white hair and his robe waving in the wind; pointing that stick at our house. Every time the lightning flashed, I could see him as plain as day. He looked pleased and happy, and had a warm smile on his face. We’re going to have good luck, Jay Berry, you can be sure of that.”

From Literature

There she saw it, plain as day, a four-legged table walking along with the light, weaving in and out among the tombstones.

From Literature

This should be plain as day to anyone who cares to look and listen.

From Slate

Penelope understood not a word, but the fellow’s tone was plain as day.

From Literature

Related Words

• conspicuous
• indisputable
• noticeable
• obvious
• palpable
• unmistakable
• visible