🚨 As Obvious As Can Be: A Clear-Cut Tale of Transparency 🚨
title: “🚨 As Obvious As Can Be: A Clear-Cut Tale of Transparency 🚨” description: “Why make things complicated? Dive into the obvious and transparent with a hint of humor. It’s as plain as the nose on your face!” categories:
- Fun with Language
- Clichés tags:
- language
- clichés
- idioms
- humor author: “Lucid Lucy” date: 2023-10-15
Definitions & Origins:
As Obvious As Can Be: Unmistakably clear, requiring no explanation.
- Plain as a packstaff or pikestaff: A 15th-century expression that likened straightforwardness to the noticeable staff used by peddlers.
- Plain as the nose on your face: This 16th-century phrase implies something so clear it’s as obvious as your nose.
- Plain as day: 19th-century locution highlighting things clear as daylight.
Similar Terms & Expressions:
- Crystal clear: Absolutely clear and undeniable.
- As clear as mud: (Antonym) Completely unclear and confusing.
- Blatantly obvious: Hard to overlook.
- Glaringly evident: So obvious, it almost glares at you.
- Open and shut case: With no room for doubt.
Humor-Filled Quotes:
- “It’s so obvious even a blind man could see it!”
- “He’s as obvious as a neon sign in a blackout.”
- “Ever heard of stating the obvious? Well, that was it.”
Proverbs & Literature Suggestions:
- Proverb: “What is obvious is not always known; what is known is not always obvious.”
- Book: “The Phantom Tollbooth” by Norton Juster – Filled with wordplay and puns, making obvious and not-so-obvious connections.
- Song: “I Can See Clearly Now” by Johnny Nash – For that “oh-so-obvious” good mood!
- Poetry: “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost – Reflecting on choices and sometimes not picking the obvious one.
- Movie: “Sherlock Holmes” (2009) - Sherlock often makes the obvious seem ingenious.
Quizzes:
### Which of these is a well-known phrase?
- [x] Plain as the nose on your face
- [ ] Clear as a mystery fog
- [ ] Vivid as an invisible ink
- [ ] Blurry as daylight
> **Explanation:** "Plain as the nose on your face" is a classic saying indicating something is very obvious. The rest are amusing fabrications.
### Identify the real idiom:
- [ ] As clear as nocturnal gloom
- [ ] Murky like a clean window
- [x] Plain as day
- [ ] Obscure like brightness
> **Explanation:** "Plain as day" is the legitimate idiom of these options. The rest are fanciful contradictions.
### True or False: 'Plain as a pikestaff' is still commonly used in America today
- [ ] True
- [x] False
> **Explanation:** "Plain as a pikestaff" is an older expression that’s mostly fallen out of common use in America.
### Which phrase implies clarity and transparency?
- [x] Crystal clear
- [ ] As foggy as a mountain
- [ ] Murky like swamp water
- [ ] Shadowed by sunlight
> **Explanation:** "Crystal clear" is the phrase that implies complete clarity and understanding.
### Select the contemporary phrase:
- [x] Plain as day
- [ ] Transparent as a lead blanket
- [ ] Hidden in plain groceries
- [ ] Clear as nocturnal vision
> **Explanation:** "Plain as day" is a familiar, contemporary idiom, unlike the odd phrases listed.
### Which of these statements means something is obvious?
- [ ] Confusing like algebra
- [x] Glaringly evident
- [ ] Murky like soup
- [ ] Nebulous like spaghetti
> **Explanation:** "Glaringly evident" suggests something is unmistakably obvious.
And remember, as the great poet Emily Dickinson said, “To see a world in a grain of sand, and heaven in a wild flower…” sometimes, things are indeed as straightforward as they seem.
Happy Discoveries! -Lucy
