plain as a pikestaff en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
The word "pikestaff" in this expression is a corruption of packstaff (“the staff used to carry a bundle over the shoulder”).
Meanings
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(not-comparable, qualifier:simile) Synonym of plain as day.
―Don't you know he's dead? says Joe. / ―Paddy Dignam dead! says Alf. / ―Ay, says Joe. / ―Sure I'm after seeing him not five minutes ago, says Alf, as plain as a pikestaff. / ―Who's dead? says Bob Doran. / ―You saw his ghost then, says Joe, God between us and harm.
1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[Episode 12: Cyclops]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC:
Synonyms
Translations (2)
lv skaidrs kā diena (extremely clear and plain to see) · it chiaro come il sole (extremely clear and plain to see)