smooth sailing

Idioms

Easy progress, as in We had a hard time setting up the new computer system but it'll be smooth sailing from here on. The smooth in this idiom alludes to calm waters, free from big waves or roughness, a usage dating from the late 1300s. The transfer to other kinds of easy progress dates from the second half of the 1900s. Also see plain sailing.

Example Sentences

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smooth sailing

It has not always been smooth sailing for Mateta though.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

My experience in Lisbon and relatively smooth sailing in Paris and Rome this month underscore the crapshoot travelers face under the European Union’s new automated border-control system.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Spain's journey since their 2010 World Cup triumph has not exactly been smooth sailing.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

It hasn’t been smooth sailing in the furniture space this calendar year as the industry has dealt with tariffs, the conflict in the Middle East, and housing market woes.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

"Then smooth sailing, sailor," he said, and slapped me on the back.

From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

smooth sailing

Example Sentences

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