sound as a bell

Idioms  

1. In excellent condition, as in Now that the brakes have been relined, the car is sound as a bell, or The surgery went well and now he's sound as a bell. This simile rests on the assumption that the bell in question is not cracked (which would make it useless). First recorded in 1565, it has survived numerous other similes (sound as a top or roach or dollar), probably owing to its pun on “sound.”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sound as a bell

And then there are some trees in the valleys under the mountains, sound as a bell, and bad right through.

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien

"I am as sound as a bell," he vowed.

From Running Sands by Reginald Wright Kauffman

He was as sound as a bell, very clever on his feet, never lost his condition, and, although not fast, could last for ever at his own pace.

From Jock of the Bushveld by Sir Percy Fitzpatrick

"As a small boy," said her father, "he was very delicate; but now he's as sound as a bell and he looks as strong as an elk."

From It, and Other Stories by Gouverneur Morris

Very soon it was as sound as a bell.

From Anthony Lyveden by Dornford Yates