sound as a bell

Idioms and Phrases

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.”