plain sailing
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plain sailing
- /ˌpleɪn ˈseɪlɪŋ/ US, UK
Sounds like plane sailing · Rhymes with -eɪlɪŋ
Where it comes from
From plain (adjective) + sailing.
Sense 2 (“something that is easy, simple, or straightforward”) is attested slightly later than plain-sailing (adjective), and so could have been derived from it.
noun plane sailing
- The navigation of waters free from hazards or unfavourable winds.
- Obsolete spelling of plane sailing (“a technique for navigation using the assumption that the journey occurs over a plane or flat surface rather than the actual curved surface of the Earth, which is sufficiently accurate over short distances”). […] I hired a Tonquineſe for about a Dollar to be my guide. This, tho but a ſmall matter, vvas a great deal out of my Pocket, vvho had not above 2 Dollars in all, vvhich I had gotten on board, by teaching ſome of our young Seamen Plain Sailing.
-
Something that is easy, simple, or straightforward; something that offers no difficulties or trouble.
[H]e ſhould give himſelf fair play, by trying his hand vvith the rudiments, vvhich vvould no ſooner be run over, than the reſt vvould become plain ſailing: […]
Similar: child's play, smooth sailing, walk in the park, bagatelle, waltz, walk, breeze, cake and gingerbread, cakewalk, cinch, doddle, doss
Talk about this word "plain sailing." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/plain%20sailing. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. plain sailing. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/plain%20sailing "plain sailing." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/plain%20sailing.Cite this
@misc{plain_sailing_2026,
title = {plain sailing},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/plain%20sailing},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
