| 释义 |
adjective pleɪnpleɪn 1Not decorated or elaborate; simple or basic in character. 无装饰的，简易的，不复杂的；素净的，清淡的，朴素的，简朴的 美味而清淡的食品。 everyone dined at a plain wooden table 大家都在一张简易木桌上吃饭。 Example sentencesExamples - All furniture forms were plain in design with simple or no surface decoration.
- Doors, all plain wood with similar lines of grain etched in each of them passed quickly on either side, and he soon found the one he was looking for.
- Because of her plain wool dress and basic hairstyle, I had assumed she would not know royal etiquette so in depth.
- Yet, perhaps because he deals mainly with sophisticated food, he prefers plain cooking at home.
- Interestingly the plain case holds the elaborately decorated cutlery while the filigree case houses the more restrained pieces.
- The tables are plain pine, giving the whole restaurant a homely, farmhouse-kitchen feel.
- He liked plain food, without sauces or cheese, and plenty of fresh vegetables, including those grown in the garden of his estate.
- Food was very plain, of course, when I was young.
- Today, she is wearing a plain black ankle-length dress decorated with flowers, perversely projecting a rather saintly look.
- Sans serif fonts are typically plain with constant line weight.
- Although there was a variety of slightly different recipes, the one in my mind was a pretty basic recipe for plain chiffon cake, I thought.
- Meanwhile, it's downplaying such basics as khakis and plain blue jeans in favor of items like tops with matching belts.
- There are nice wooden floors and plain walls with tasteful pictures.
- She was surrounded by a simple, plain room with a wooden wardrobe and desk.
- Eight of the knives were plain, four were decorated, and two bore the likeness of the Sican Deity, believed by Sicans to rule the supernatural world.
- Their rich, sumptuous food contrasted with the simple and plain food prepared by the ordinary people of Nepal.
- Thumb ring had amethyst jewel in the middle and the pinky ring was just a plain design with squiggly lines and dots, both were silver.
- Most of the available fountain soft drink providers offer a line of plain and flavored teas.
- I wanted to photograph the United States in its most basic, plain, everyday sense.
- The foul weather also keeps most students at school in the middle of the day, making do with very simple food such as plain steamed buns and hot water, for lunch.
Synonyms simple, ordinary, unadorned, undecorated, unembellished, unornamented, unpretentious, unostentatious, unfussy, homely, homespun, basic, modest, unsophisticated, penny plain, without frills stark, severe, spartan, austere, chaste, bare, uncluttered, restrained, muted, unpatterned, patternless, everyday, workaday - 1.1 Without a pattern; in only one colour.
平纹的；单色的，素色的 平纹织物。 Example sentencesExamples - Ascot rules dictate that they should be of a plain colour, and innocent of sponsors' logos.
- Think creatively; add a flower pattern to a plain camisole or sew beads onto an old skirt.
- Sarees that are mass-produced in plain and sober colours, have as much charm as the hand-woven ones that are heavily embroidered with intricate designs.
- If you want to distract attention from your top half, go for a plain colour and style on top and a sexier bottom with side ties or lots of flamboyant detail.
- Go for plain solids or patterns that fit with fall themes, like floral or leaf patterns.
- That line features brightly colored patterns or plain shirts over solid pants in a wide range of tones.
- Instead of the bold patterns and colours that are typical of that continent, I've used plain designs and neutral colours.
- I cut an overly sweet cake and got a gift I do not remember except that it was covered with plain silver wrapping paper.
- If you don't want to diminish the Christmas morning surprise, wrap stocking stuffers in plain white or silver paper before tucking them inside.
- Do you change it frequently or are you a purist with just the plain default colour?
- Sport it with a gray suit and plain white or patterned shirt.
- If your heart is set on wallpaper, consider a plain colour or a small-scale print that you and your child won't tire of in years to come.
- For so long, it's been black or linen in plain colours, and suddenly there's been an explosion of colour which is really inspiring people.
- The pottery is usually plain and dark in colour, sometimes with channelled decoration and moulded handles.
- Combining a bright color with a muted one, or a plain fabric with a printed one, makes one set of place mats the equivalent of two.
- It is more difficult to fool the eye with carpet but if you have to go this route, choose a random pattern or plain carpet.
- The 1997 collage is made up of papers that are plain or dotted, striped and sponge-painted.
- The usual choice is a solid-color opaque fabric, but you might consider a print lining under a plain color or even a patterned sheer.
- They wanted a more contemporary look, such as a chrome finish and plain fabrics.
- As with gifts, people come in fancy wrapping that camouflages a dull interior, or plain wrapping that disguises a vibrant and exciting core.
- 1.2 (of paper) without lines.
（纸）无行线的 Example sentencesExamples - The next morning, we spent no more than an hour making the poster, writing George's slogan on a large plain brown paper wrapper with big black markers.
- As for the writing paper (which should never be called note paper), this must be plain, not lined, and white or ivory.
- Bingo games also can be made just as easily by using plain white paper tri-folded lengthwise and widthwise to create a 9-cell grid.
- Previously the Police had recorded her complaint on a plain piece of paper.
- He would take the ashes and rub them on a second, apparently plain, piece of paper.
- Cover the work surface with plain newsprint or a drop cloth.
- Before we started, we placed very large pieces of plain Manila paper on each desk, as a protective covering for the work surface.
- Type your manuscript on plain white paper, double-spaced, using only one side of the page.
- Using plain white and ivory paper, straws and pipe cleaners, she creates faux gemstones, crystals and pearls.
- If additional space is needed, continue on plain white, lettersize paper.
- It wasn't just a plain piece of A4 paper and it wasn't just stuck in a normal envelope.
- At the moment there was a plain piece of paper on it.
- I find working on plain white paper with a ballpoint pen is the best way.
- So instead, we gave our applicants a plain, white paper bag and told them to ‘be creative.’
- Use good quality, plain white paper and print your letter in the standard business letter format.
- I gave the children a piece of plain white paper and challenged them to make their own envelopes.
- Inside was at least five stacks of plain white paper, along with seven pencil boxes.
- Individually, an ant would get lost on a plain piece of paper.
- So, instead of finding my grandpa to tell him, I sit down on my desk, and, on a plain piece of paper, I start to write a letter.
- He took it a couple of steps further though, faxing all the local Cleveland media outlets on plain white paper with his signature demanding a trade.
- 1.3 Bearing no indication as to contents or affiliation.
空白的 donations can be put in a plain envelope 可以把捐款放进一个空白信封中。 Example sentencesExamples - The plan is outlined in a government memo which was leaked to the environmental group Friends of the Earth in a plain brown envelope last week.
- For those of you still staring suspiciously at the plain brown envelope from Canada Customs and Revenue, too fearful to open it up and find out how much they want from you - relax.
- So when a got a plain brown paper wrapped package in the mail from Nancy the other day, I knew it would not be safe to open in front of the kids.
- In the post, she received a blade for a hack-saw in a plain brown envelope.
- These envelopes, always plain white and small, are never opened until the two parties are far apart.
- In 1974, she was music director at WMMS, in Cleveland, when she received a record in a plain brown envelope.
- When presented only with a plain ballot paper, even more may choose to express their concerns.
- On the back of the imagination test was stapled a plain envelope that contained the ESP targets.
- David pulled a plain envelope from a coat pocket, giving it to the vicar and shaking his hand as the man gave his condolences.
- For me, the first shot at the ‘big story’ came in a plain brown envelope with no return address.
- On the morning of April 5, 2001, he received a sealed, plain brown envelope addressed to him.
- Her gaze settled upon the last letter, a small, plain envelope addressed to her maiden name from someone she couldn't remember at first.
- She held out a plain, brown paper parcel to him, roughly tied with string still dripping in bacon fat.
- She folded the note and put it in a plain white envelope.
- The plain envelope which landed on my desk was sent anonymously.
- Taped to his door panel was a plain white envelope with his name neatly printed across the front in red ink.
- The envelope was a plain white one with no indication who it was from.
- The letters arrived in plain envelopes with a Kelowna return address.
- She didn't recognize the return address but turned it over, inspecting it carefully before tearing the paper off the plain box.
- I received a plain white envelope in today's post, which I idly opened while still bleary-eyed and caffeine-free.
2Having no pretensions; not remarkable or special. （人）朴实的；普通的，平凡的 a plain, honest man with no nonsense about him 一个朴实诚恳不轻浮的人。 Example sentencesExamples - Meanwhile, plain folks toss around the word with abandon.
- And so the politicians, the soldiers, the businessmen, and the plain folk decided it was best to give up their guns.
- Most importantly, the conviviums will include just plain folk.
- On the outside he was a plain guy, quite normal and polite, but once you got to know him, opinions started to take a turn for the worse.
- But even with a lobbying budget of over $5 million last year, turning trial lawyers into plain folk may take some doing.
Synonyms straightforward, unpretentious, simple, ordinary, average, unassuming, unaffected, honest-to-goodness, ingenuous, artless, guileless, sincere North American cracker-barrel - 2.1attributive (of a person) without a special title or status.
（人）无头衔的，无身份的 for years he was just plain Bill 多年来，比尔不过是个平头老百姓。 Example sentencesExamples - She was just plain Suzy, driving her sleeping family home after a day out at the coast.
- They would wait until 1804 before electing plain Samuel as trustee.
- For the most part, she just called him plain Jack.
3Easy to perceive or understand; clear. 明显的，明白的；清晰的，清楚的 the advantages were plain to see 优势显而易见。 it was plain that something was wrong 很显然有地方出大错了。 Example sentencesExamples - On several occasions it was quite plain that he had lapsed into his Porky Pig routine as he normally does when the heat is on or he has been caught out lying to the people again.
- On the day both teams showed great determination, and it was plain to see that winning would be no easy task.
- If all this proves he's an intelligent songwriter, it's also plain that he is in touch in an all-American way with his inner man.
- ‘It is plain that had you not had alcohol you would not have resorted to these measures,’ he said.
- Considering that only one third of domestic violence incidents are reported, it is plain that as well as domestic violence being a national concern, it is here, in our York communities.
- The lack of highway capacity is plain to see as daily congestion is a fact of life on most key roads that link one province to another throughout Java, the country's economic center.
- Since he clearly understands the law, it's plain that if we take him at his word, he appears to believe in free speech only for himself.
- Like many of us, it is also plain that he cannot understand why.
- It is plain that lower interest rates make it cheaper for all to borrow.
- The team's development is plain to see and another thoroughly professional job against a committed, if limited, Swinton only underlines Leigh's potential.
- Even without the GATS treaty, it's plain that global trade in services is already testing our notions of national sovereignty.
- It is increasingly plain that we do want a more engaged, modern head of state - but we are asking the single most ill-equipped family in the country to provide one.
- To an outsider, it's one of the hardest things to understand about the company, but the benefits are plain to see on stage.
- He draws an awful lot of fire, that's plain to see.
- It is plain that many regard the new obligation contained in the Code of Ethics to provide reasons for decision as detracting from what they regard as an efficient system.
- Really, your Honours, if that is what the court meant to be saying, it is directly contrary to what they have said elsewhere and what was plain on the papers.
- ‘Let me make it absolutely plain that of course burglary is an enormously upsetting offence,’ he said.
- After all, it's plain that nothing really dreadful or heartbreaking could possibly happen to people this pleasant or cultured.
- But once over the zebra crossing and up close, it was plain that these two artists couldn't be more different.
- Returning to our correspondent's writings in The Age of 8 April 1998, it's plain that neither is the case.
Synonyms obvious, clear, crystal clear, as clear as crystal, evident, apparent, manifest, patent, visible, discernible, perceptible, perceivable, noticeable, detectable, recognizable, observable, unmistakable, transparent, palpable, distinct, pronounced, marked, striking, conspicuous, overt, self-evident, indisputable as plain as a pikestaff, staring someone in the face, writ large, written all over someone, as plain as day, plain to see, beyond (a) doubt, beyond question informal as plain as the nose on one's face, standing/sticking out like a sore thumb, standing/sticking out a mile - 3.1attributive (of written or spoken usage) clearly expressed, without the use of technical or abstruse terms.
（书面或口头用法）表达清楚的，清新的；不用技术词汇或深奥词汇的 an insurance policy written in plain English Example sentencesExamples - I think the candidates need to be very specific and speak in plain English.
- As with a lot of things in life, it's the preparation that often determines the success or failure of an effort to write documents in plain English.
- Explanations of terms should be in plain English.
- Lancashire County Council's 32-page guide has been sent out to all officers and sets out rules on how to write letters in plain English.
- They write in plain English, without jargon, and distill lengthy statements into clear, concise tables understandable at a glance.
- And when we do talk about it, we should do so clearly, in plain English - not in jumbled phrases of design jargon.
- All our information is free, independent and written in plain English.
- Unless it is printed clearly in plain English, it could be misinterpreted.
- Manufacturers are not legally-obliged to provide you with a guarantee, but if they do it must be in plain English and clearly explain how to make a claim.
- In the United States, 44 of the 50 states require insurance contracts to be written in plain English.
- Even so, we cannot see how this helps plaintiffs' contention that the plain meaning of ‘retail pet store’ does not include residences.
- Prices are still going up but service does seem to have improved and restaurateurs are beginning to write menus in plain English.
- To put it in plain language, let's suppose that here in front of us there is an animal and a man.
- This information is written in plain English and is not suitable for computer analysis.
- What essentially is the debate about how to read a text that's written in plain English?
- His content is in Farsi, Farsi written phonetically with English characters and plain English.
- Financial jargon is becoming a thing of the past due to IFSRA's efforts to educate consumers and encourage the financial industry to speak in plain English.
- When it comes to the front page, newspapers favor plain language, in part to protect the readers from the seductions of rhetoric, of art.
- On the other hand, he is fond of the kind of design analysis that leaves the uninitiated wishing he would speak in plain English, in terms the layman can understand.
- The award was presented by the Plain English Campaign - an independent pressure group that campaigns for information to be written in plain English.
Synonyms intelligible, comprehensible, understandable, coherent, accessible, uncomplicated, lucid, perspicuous, unambiguous, clear, simple, straightforward, clearly expressed, clear-cut, direct, digestible, user-friendly - 3.2 Not using concealment or deception; frank.
无遮拦的，真诚的；直截了当的，坦率的 there were indrawn breaths at such plain speaking Example sentencesExamples - He was once a naive believer in the freedom of expression and the virtues of plain speaking - formerly a tradition in the north of England.
- She was down to earth, plain speaking, kind and considerate.
- If humour does not do the trick, we must hope for enlightenment from plain speaking - from education of the public in the ways of their government.
- The wooden spoon may beckon for St Johnstone, but were there an award for plain speaking, the club chairman would be an undoubted front-runner.
- But he easily outclassed him in argument and plain speaking.
- It is apparent to him that his plain speaking is the reason for these attacks, and this goes to show that his statements are true.
- I realise, of course, that honesty is a thoroughly dangerous habit, but the avoidance of plain speaking is probably, in the long run, more destructive.
- Honesty and plain speaking are not virtues for politicians and diplomats.
- His great Northern instinct for plain speaking, his sharp wit and irreverence will be greatly missed.
- Athletics coaches and administrators, not to mention a few journalists, have been on the receiving end of her plain speaking over the years.
- The Daily Mail claimed that his honesty and plain speaking is the best defence Britain could have against extremism and social unrest.
- The awards, designed to draw attention to the need for plain speaking, are now in their 23rd year and were celebrated at a ceremony in central London yesterday.
- The billboards are the primary examples of that, projecting him as the plain speaking, not-quite-politician.
- Is this issue beneath this great Prime Minister, who is blunt, and plain speaking, and goes on the front foot?
- Nothing is more artificial than plain speaking.
- He is from an era when blunt and plain speaking was applauded.
- Their politics were radically different, but each man believed plain speaking was essential to a democracy because it was the only way to tell the truth.
- It does not commend itself to the masses, which say they like plain speaking, and it cannot be translated into action, which may be good or evil or neither but cannot be both.
- Which is, I am sure you will agree, plain speaking.
- Too often what one has regarded as necessary plain speaking, the other has seen has offensive insensitivity.
Synonyms candid, frank, outspoken, forthright, plain-spoken, direct, honest, truthful, blunt, downright, unvarnished, bald, straight from the shoulder, explicit, unequivocal informal upfront archaic round, free-spoken
4(of a person) not beautiful or attractive. （妇女，少女）不漂亮的，不迷人的 a plain, round-faced woman Example sentencesExamples - It was nice to see such an attractive Ruth as often she is rather plain compared to Elvira.
- During the story, he becomes ashamed of his plain wife.
- Only Fanny remains convinced that he is quite plain.
- He was a plain man of medium height and build.
- I had never come across a story where the girl was plain or ugly.
- I tried to care for her and the child, and it was the most dreadful thing to see her change from that bubbling, bright girl into a tired, plain woman.
- I'm plain, I know I am, but I also know that if I tried I could be beautiful.
- Do they choose plain girls with no education or sense of style, and who will happily consider going to McDonalds on Saturday night?
- He was plain, dark-haired, and slender with a long nose.
- Their kids would probably be plain, bare and simple-minded.
- The plain girl was normally quick on the uptake, but it took her a few moments before the horrible realization dawned that none of those dresses had been for her after all.
- Never before had she worried about what she looked like or being ignored, in fact she had wished that she was plain in features and thus left alone to do whatever she desired.
- She had always been a plain child, though anyone who looked at her could tell who her mother was, for she looked much like her mother.
- Perfect posture can make a plain person stunningly attractive.
- My brother and sister are so plain compared to yours!
- I always used to look at myself as sort of a plain person.
- She was an average looking girl, but she was plain like white paint.
- She's a plain girl, and dresses in what is best suited, not best looking.
- She was plain to behold, but he knew the signs: she would blossom into a beautiful young woman.
- What is he, really, except a plain boy with unkempt hair?
Synonyms unattractive, unprepossessing, as plain as a pikestaff, ugly, ill-favoured, unlovely, ordinary-looking 5attributive Sheer; simple (used for emphasis) 用于强调纯粹的，完全的 the main problem is just plain exhaustion 主要问题就是太疲倦了。 Example sentencesExamples - Plus, it's just plain exhausting trying to say productive, generous, and constructive things all the time.
- And of course half the audience was just plain bored, because it all seemed rather plotless and longhaired.
- On second thought, maybe that's just plain weird.
- The suggestion that cabinet would sit there listening to tapes for hours on end is just plain silly.
- That, as a factual judgment, I think is just plain wrong.
- It's a silly train wreck of a show, and at some point, you realize these kids are just plain bored.
- The two have no chemistry, and his personality is plain awful.
- Who knows are they being ironic or just plain silly?
- Americans are just plain worn out from all that success.
- Seeing Mr. Universe look like this is just plain wrong.
- If you feel overwhelmed, exhausted or just plain rundown, you probably are dealing with unhealthy amounts of stress.
- Some are flipped, inverted, and just plain dyslexic.
- He was sharp and hard hitting, tender and sincere, funny and mischievous, humble and playful, and just plain entertaining.
- Many died from malnutrition, fighting, or just plain exhaustion before even getting to the construction sites.
- Minimizing the number of systems that engineers deal with is also key, so that making GM products is cheaper and just plain simpler.
- He'd thrown so many blows - to little apparent effect - that he was just plain tired.
- The first is to create publicly accessible data about bloggers' personalities, which may have sociological value in addition to being just plain fun.
- After a good twenty minutes in one of these megastores, however, experience tells that the dizzy anticipation is usually replaced by just plain dizziness.
- As for her, she's just plain exasperated, what with that nose hanging off her face and a score pounding nonstop at her temples.
- Is it appropriate punishment or just plain politics?
Synonyms sheer, pure, downright, out-and-out, unmitigated, rank, nothing other than 6Denoting or relating to a type of knitting stitch produced by putting the needle through the front of each stitch from left to right. （针法）平针的。比较PURL 1 Also called knit (adjective)
Compare with purl Example sentencesExamples - She offered a more varied needlework curriculum of plain work, marking, openwork, and embroidery along with reading and writing.
- When working the 101st row, knit the margin, also 9 stripes of the pattern, then knit 30 plain stitches, and resume the pattern to the end.
adverb pleɪnpleɪn informal 1as submodifier Used for emphasis. 用于强调纯粹的，完全的 perhaps the youth was just plain stupid 或许那位青年不过是太笨了而已。 Example sentencesExamples - Most of the posters on étapes are just plain ugly.
- I mean, let's be honest here, asking you to better it would be just plain greedy of me, wouldn't it?
- Was there a similar shakedown then of the just plain stupid ideas as we are experiencing now?
- There is town pride; and then there is just plain egocentric stupidity.
- That kind of business-as-usual strategy would have been considered hubris or just plain stupid a decade ago, but the sands have shifted.
- And finally, if you're over a size 6, have stretch marks or visible scars, or are simply plain ugly - don't despair!
- Submissions - poetic, pathetic and just plain bizarre - fall into categories like Pride, Envy, Sloth and Gluttony.
- And who hasn't raved about a movie or a book that somebody has found to be totally inane or just plain boring?
- Think again; you do not have to have been personally liable, stupid or plain dangerous.
- The trouble with most of the right wing positions are that they are just plain old fashioned stupid.
- It seems quite simply to be plain clueless power-grabbing, to me.
- Now, we get to some other typos and a lot of just plain stupid false comments that were made in this book.
- Some of the designs seem, at first glance, a little too complex and just too plain clever for their or New York's good.
- He plays a single parent thief whose diplomatic skills take the form of naked and, at times, plain stupid aggression.
- I must say this up front: I have zero love of the so-called thug style, on ballplayers or anybody else - it's just plain ugly to me.
- Your statement on Nicaragua shows how utterly naive and just plain stupid you are.
- She was either completely clueless or just plain spiteful.
- Many of the styles back in the day were simply horrid, amusing or plain bizarre.
- When you see counterproductive, invasive, or just plain stupid security, don't let it slip by.
- They should have been happy at the prospect of fresh air, swathes of green and house prices which are stupid rather than plain insane.
Synonyms downright, utterly, absolutely, completely, totally, really, thoroughly, positively, profoundly, categorically, simply, incontrovertibly, unquestionably, undeniably informal plumb 2Clearly or unequivocally. 明白地；不含糊地 I'm finished with you, I'll tell you plain 我们俩一刀两断了，明白告诉你。 Example sentencesExamples - He was speaking plain enough to be very intelligible to Emma.
- I'll tell you plain that I'm pretty rough myself, but you're mighty shady company even for Billy.
- We warned him plain.
noun pleɪnpleɪn A large area of flat land with few trees. 平原 Example sentencesExamples - This area is surrounded by sandy plains and salt marshes.
- The land terrain in Cambodia is mostly made up of low lands, flat plains, with mountains in the Southwest and north.
- But it could mean the difference between living half-way up a mountain or living in a valley; living by the sea or living on a plain in a land-locked area.
- The zebras were once abundant in the plains and highly wooded areas of Africa, East and South of Sahara and forests of west from Ethiopia and Angola to the cape.
- It consists of flat rocky plains, rocky mesas (land formations) in the south, and sandy dunes in the north.
- They inhabit tundra, alpine meadows, coastal plains near salmon runs, and rivers and valleys.
- Belgium's major geographic divisions are the coastal lowlands, the central plain, and the high plateau of the Ardennes.
- Two long, sandy plains dominate the coastal areas along the Indian Ocean to the east.
- The area covers 1,200 hectares of land and consists of flat plains, foothills and a white sandy beach, sloping down towards a crystal blue sea.
- Over the last century, internal migration has overwhelmingly been from mountains to plains, inland to coastal areas, and rural to urban settlements.
- With these they are able to dramatise plains, prairies, steppes and meadows.
- Your garden may be influenced by very different topography: mountains, hills, flat or rolling plains.
- I assume our fathers saw these swells of land as flat and grassy plains like prairies.
- Most of the population live in highly urbanized areas along the coastal plains.
- The landscape includes flat desert plains, rugged savanna, and volcanic mountains.
- The earthquake struck an area that is mostly barren plains with scattered fertile land, in the shadow of the snow-crested mountains of the Hindu Kush.
- During high river discharges, overbank flows flooded extensive areas of the delta plain, creating swamps, coastal lakes and ephemeral channels.
- A wide area of coastal plains extends across the western seaboard, a region of phosphate mining and the cultivation of citrus, olives, tobacco, and grains.
- To the east of the Futa Jallon is Upper Guinea, a savanna region with plains and river valleys.
- In the Gobi area, you will find mountains, plains, steppes, forests and barren areas.
Synonyms grassland, flatland, lowland, pasture, meadowland, open country, prairie, savannah, steppe in South America tableland, tundra, pampas, campo, llano, vega in southern Africa veld Geology pediplain literary champaign
Phrasesas plain as the nose on someone's face informal Very obvious. 〈非正式〉非常明显，明明白白 I knew what he was up to—it was as plain as the nose on his face Example sentencesExamples - He explained why he chose him: ‘That was a decision I felt had to be made as plain as the nose on my face - and that's fairly apparent.’
- The state of your health is literally as plain as the nose on your face, according to such ancient healing systems as Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine.
- The humanitarian answer is as plain as the nose on your face.
- After the verdict was handed down, the press were talking to the jurors, interviewing the jury, and the one juror said Michael's innocence was as plain as the nose on his face.
- She was lying and both of them knew it as plain as the nose on her face.
- After eliminating the impossibilities, the master of deduction explained, he had been left with one simple irrevocable conclusion, as plain as the nose on one's face.
- Anyway it was as plain as the nose on your face that for him to have a chance they needed to take Steve and probably Jarrod into the final, but he has this curious article of faith that you don't need ruckmen.
- I recognized that deeply buried and at times right there as plain as the nose on my face - were plot elements of Bram Stoker's story that I had been unaware of.
- What's the point of saying something that is as plain as the nose on your face?
- The linkage between political and paramilitary unionism is as plain as the nose on your face, but not enough, it seems, to inspire an Irish Times editorial entitled ‘DUP / Ulster Resistance’.
In a place that is clearly visible. very important clues are hidden in plain sight Example sentencesExamples - Even now, watching this ballet, I have "eureka" moments when I discover another bit of meaning hidden in plain sight.
- Never leave your laptop in plain sight; cover it or put it in the trunk.
- At times in this game, you'll be spotted despite the fact that you are seemingly well hidden, and at other times a guard will look right through you when you're standing in plain view.
- Often, these places post the nutrition information of their menus in plain view.
- Officers found the fragment of one bullet lying in plain sight on the vehicle's driver's seat.
- The ancient mysteries are hidden in plain sight.
- The footage was shot in plain view of the authorities who were present.
- The card is placed out of play but kept in plain sight.
- The blackmail note that the police are looking for is in plain sight.
- There are many unsolved mysteries in the decorative arts, and, as in some detective stories, the clue to their solution has been in plain sight all the time.
- His appearance is unremarkable, and that makes it possible for him to hide in plain sight.
- The enemy is in plain sight, caught in their cross hairs.
- The card was hidden in plain view - not concealed under, inside or beneath anything - but that didn't seem to make it easy to find.
- She was in plain view all the time, but everyone was so worried they didn't see her.
- He notices a hawk resting in plain view on a tree limb a hundred yards distant.
informal Used to emphasize the statement preceding or following. 〈非正式〉 用于强调前面或后面的观点当然，显然 she was a nuisance, plain and simple Example sentencesExamples - It's paper, plain and simple, and that will never change.
- ‘These people are not nationalists, they are criminals plain and simple,’ he said.
- These costs are the result of bad business, plain and simple; overspending on fringe players who did not play a significant role.
- To be completely frank with you, the main reason that there is no comments system here is because I'm a control freak, plain and simple.
- He is a songwriter - and his approach to his craft is as plain and simple as that statement.
- Harsh though it may seem, in the end this is justice plain and simple.
- It's about Toronto taking control of the look of our city, plain and simple.
- Without them this show wouldn't have happened, plain and simple.
- At 44 years old, and as the most decorated female athlete of all time, she's a phenomenon, plain and simple.
- A ‘real’ hunter does not kill to watch things suffer - he kills for food, plain and simple.
informal Very clearly. 〈非正式〉非常明显，明明白白 Example sentencesExamples - The Moody Blues were an old-school British Invasion-trained band playing only to score chart hits, plain as day, and some might say in a manner much more shameless than some of their less pretentious competitors.
- It's plain as day that the levelers are a very creative bunch of people that know how to design interesting and tension filled challenges.
- What's lacking though, is plain as day: the lyrics here are generally horrendous, but always unintentionally funny.
- It has been as plain as day for three decades that the day would come when oil supply could no longer increase at the same rate as demand, and all the evidence is that that is starting to happen this year.
- Maybe not to the other, but I can see it plain as day.
- Yet many contemporaries worried that lawyers were merely complicating matters that ought to be as plain as day.
- This is pure, one-man-band, Presidential propaganda, and we can all see it, as plain as day.
- It's plain as day that you two were meant to be together.
- A simple assertion, plain as day, coming from someone who ought to know.
- Your contempt for anyone who disagrees with you is plain as day.
Derivativesnoun ˈpleɪnnəs As in some of the palazzi of the High Renaissance, the plainness and heaviness of the ground floor, whose arches were open to the elements until 1862, makes a marked and deliberate contrast to the sculptural richness above. Example sentencesExamples - The food of Tarazona is known for its almost austere plainness; this has been tempered lately by chefs who have brought an elegance to their cooking.
- The 1961 band spoke with a common plainness of purpose.
- And yet that tradition's peculiar virtues - understatement, plainness, a willingness to explain one's ideas - create the effects here which will surprise Americans most.
- In the weaker poems, the effect is wishful and mechanical, but there are many moments of startling illumination, and these are made more powerful by the seeming plainness and directness of his manner.
OriginMiddle English: from Old French plain, from Latin planus, from a base meaning 'flat'. The source of both plain and plane is Latin planus ‘flat’. Mathematicians introduced the spelling plane in the early 17th century to distinguish the geometrical uses of plain from senses such as ‘ordinary’ and ‘simple’. The sort of plane used to make wood flat is from the same source. Plane meaning ‘an aircraft’ is unconnected, and is a shortening of aeroplane. Also unconnected is the plane tree (Late Middle English), which is not flat but ‘broad’, the meaning of its Greek source platus. The plan of a building (mid 17th century), which involves putting something three-dimensional on a flat surface, is, however, related. The earlier version of the expression as plain as a pikestaff, ‘very obvious’, was as plain as a packstaff, which gives a small clue as to its origins. A packstaff was a long stick which a peddler used to carry his pack of goods for sale, which would probably have been obvious from a distance as the peddler trudged along the road. By the end of the 16th century people had started to use the current version with pikestaff, and a hundred years later it had more or less taken over. A pikestaff was a walking stick with a pointed metal tip, which possibly replaced packstaff because it sounded similar and peddlers were becoming a less familiar sight. The phrase plain sailing, ‘smooth and easy progress’, probably represents a use of plane sailing, referring to the practice of determining a ship's position on the theoretical assumption that it is moving on a plane. Plain Jane first appears in 1912, in Carnival by Compton Mackenzie. There was probably no real Jane behind the phrase, just a fortunate rhyme.
Rhymesabstain, appertain, arcane, arraign, ascertain, attain, Bahrain, bane, blain, brain, Braine, Cain, Caine, campaign, cane, cinquain, chain, champagne, champaign, Champlain, Charmaine, chicane, chow mein, cocaine, Coleraine, Coltrane, complain, constrain, contain, crane, Dane, deign, demesne, demi-mondaine, detain, disdain, domain, domaine, drain, Duane, Dwane, Elaine, entertain, entrain, explain, fain, fane, feign, gain, Germaine, germane, grain, humane, Hussein, inane, Jain, Jane, Jermaine, Kane, La Fontaine, lain, lane, legerdemain, Lorraine, main, Maine, maintain, mane, mise en scène, Montaigne, moraine, mundane, obtain, ordain, Paine, pane, pertain, plane, Port-of-Spain, profane, rain, Raine, refrain, reign, rein, retain, romaine, sane, Seine, Shane, Sinn Fein, skein, slain, Spain, Spillane, sprain, stain, strain, sustain, swain, terrain, thane, train, twain, Ujjain, Ukraine, underlain, urbane, vain, vane, vein, Verlaine, vicereine, wain, wane, Wayne verb pleɪnpleɪn [no object]archaic 1Mourn or lament. 〈古〉哀悼；悲痛 Example sentencesExamples - 'Oh, Rover, don't you leave me, too,' she plained out.
- 1.1 Complain.
抱怨 Example sentencesExamples - When she was entertained she plained about her new-found fame.
- 1.2 Emit a mournful or plaintive sound.
悲叹；哀诉 Example sentencesExamples - She plained of love; she longed for wings.
OriginMiddle English: from Old French plaindre, from Latin plangere 'to lament'. adjectivepleɪnplān 1Not decorated or elaborate; simple or ordinary in character. 无装饰的，简易的，不复杂的；素净的，清淡的，朴素的，简朴的 美味而清淡的食品。 everyone dined at a plain wooden table 大家都在一张简易木桌上吃饭。 Example sentencesExamples - Their rich, sumptuous food contrasted with the simple and plain food prepared by the ordinary people of Nepal.
- There are nice wooden floors and plain walls with tasteful pictures.
- Because of her plain wool dress and basic hairstyle, I had assumed she would not know royal etiquette so in depth.
- Yet, perhaps because he deals mainly with sophisticated food, he prefers plain cooking at home.
- Doors, all plain wood with similar lines of grain etched in each of them passed quickly on either side, and he soon found the one he was looking for.
- All furniture forms were plain in design with simple or no surface decoration.
- Interestingly the plain case holds the elaborately decorated cutlery while the filigree case houses the more restrained pieces.
- Thumb ring had amethyst jewel in the middle and the pinky ring was just a plain design with squiggly lines and dots, both were silver.
- Meanwhile, it's downplaying such basics as khakis and plain blue jeans in favor of items like tops with matching belts.
- I wanted to photograph the United States in its most basic, plain, everyday sense.
- She was surrounded by a simple, plain room with a wooden wardrobe and desk.
- Most of the available fountain soft drink providers offer a line of plain and flavored teas.
- Eight of the knives were plain, four were decorated, and two bore the likeness of the Sican Deity, believed by Sicans to rule the supernatural world.
- Although there was a variety of slightly different recipes, the one in my mind was a pretty basic recipe for plain chiffon cake, I thought.
- He liked plain food, without sauces or cheese, and plenty of fresh vegetables, including those grown in the garden of his estate.
- The tables are plain pine, giving the whole restaurant a homely, farmhouse-kitchen feel.
- The foul weather also keeps most students at school in the middle of the day, making do with very simple food such as plain steamed buns and hot water, for lunch.
- Today, she is wearing a plain black ankle-length dress decorated with flowers, perversely projecting a rather saintly look.
- Food was very plain, of course, when I was young.
- Sans serif fonts are typically plain with constant line weight.
Synonyms simple, ordinary, unadorned, undecorated, unembellished, unornamented, unpretentious, unostentatious, unfussy, homely, homespun, basic, modest, unsophisticated, penny plain, without frills - 1.1 Without a pattern; in only one color.
平纹的；单色的，素色的 平纹织物。 Example sentencesExamples - As with gifts, people come in fancy wrapping that camouflages a dull interior, or plain wrapping that disguises a vibrant and exciting core.
- I cut an overly sweet cake and got a gift I do not remember except that it was covered with plain silver wrapping paper.
- The usual choice is a solid-color opaque fabric, but you might consider a print lining under a plain color or even a patterned sheer.
- Ascot rules dictate that they should be of a plain colour, and innocent of sponsors' logos.
- For so long, it's been black or linen in plain colours, and suddenly there's been an explosion of colour which is really inspiring people.
- It is more difficult to fool the eye with carpet but if you have to go this route, choose a random pattern or plain carpet.
- Sarees that are mass-produced in plain and sober colours, have as much charm as the hand-woven ones that are heavily embroidered with intricate designs.
- Instead of the bold patterns and colours that are typical of that continent, I've used plain designs and neutral colours.
- Go for plain solids or patterns that fit with fall themes, like floral or leaf patterns.
- Combining a bright color with a muted one, or a plain fabric with a printed one, makes one set of place mats the equivalent of two.
- Sport it with a gray suit and plain white or patterned shirt.
- If you don't want to diminish the Christmas morning surprise, wrap stocking stuffers in plain white or silver paper before tucking them inside.
- They wanted a more contemporary look, such as a chrome finish and plain fabrics.
- If you want to distract attention from your top half, go for a plain colour and style on top and a sexier bottom with side ties or lots of flamboyant detail.
- That line features brightly colored patterns or plain shirts over solid pants in a wide range of tones.
- The pottery is usually plain and dark in colour, sometimes with channelled decoration and moulded handles.
- Do you change it frequently or are you a purist with just the plain default colour?
- Think creatively; add a flower pattern to a plain camisole or sew beads onto an old skirt.
- The 1997 collage is made up of papers that are plain or dotted, striped and sponge-painted.
- If your heart is set on wallpaper, consider a plain colour or a small-scale print that you and your child won't tire of in years to come.
- 1.2 Bearing no indication as to source, contents, or affiliation.
空白的 donations can be put in a plain envelope 可以把捐款放进一个空白信封中。 Example sentencesExamples - The plan is outlined in a government memo which was leaked to the environmental group Friends of the Earth in a plain brown envelope last week.
- On the morning of April 5, 2001, he received a sealed, plain brown envelope addressed to him.
- On the back of the imagination test was stapled a plain envelope that contained the ESP targets.
- For me, the first shot at the ‘big story’ came in a plain brown envelope with no return address.
- She folded the note and put it in a plain white envelope.
- I received a plain white envelope in today's post, which I idly opened while still bleary-eyed and caffeine-free.
- She didn't recognize the return address but turned it over, inspecting it carefully before tearing the paper off the plain box.
- Taped to his door panel was a plain white envelope with his name neatly printed across the front in red ink.
- She held out a plain, brown paper parcel to him, roughly tied with string still dripping in bacon fat.
- In the post, she received a blade for a hack-saw in a plain brown envelope.
- David pulled a plain envelope from a coat pocket, giving it to the vicar and shaking his hand as the man gave his condolences.
- In 1974, she was music director at WMMS, in Cleveland, when she received a record in a plain brown envelope.
- The envelope was a plain white one with no indication who it was from.
- These envelopes, always plain white and small, are never opened until the two parties are far apart.
- When presented only with a plain ballot paper, even more may choose to express their concerns.
- Her gaze settled upon the last letter, a small, plain envelope addressed to her maiden name from someone she couldn't remember at first.
- The letters arrived in plain envelopes with a Kelowna return address.
- So when a got a plain brown paper wrapped package in the mail from Nancy the other day, I knew it would not be safe to open in front of the kids.
- For those of you still staring suspiciously at the plain brown envelope from Canada Customs and Revenue, too fearful to open it up and find out how much they want from you - relax.
- The plain envelope which landed on my desk was sent anonymously.
2(of a person) having no pretensions; not remarkable or special. （人）朴实的；普通的，平凡的 a plain, honest man with no nonsense about him 一个朴实诚恳不轻浮的人。 Example sentencesExamples - But even with a lobbying budget of over $5 million last year, turning trial lawyers into plain folk may take some doing.
- On the outside he was a plain guy, quite normal and polite, but once you got to know him, opinions started to take a turn for the worse.
- And so the politicians, the soldiers, the businessmen, and the plain folk decided it was best to give up their guns.
- Meanwhile, plain folks toss around the word with abandon.
- Most importantly, the conviviums will include just plain folk.
Synonyms straightforward, unpretentious, simple, ordinary, average, unassuming, unaffected, honest-to-goodness, ingenuous, artless, guileless, sincere - 2.1attributive (of a person) without a special title or status.
（人）无头衔的，无身份的 for years he was just plain Bill 多年来，比尔不过是个平头老百姓。 Example sentencesExamples - For the most part, she just called him plain Jack.
- They would wait until 1804 before electing plain Samuel as trustee.
- She was just plain Suzy, driving her sleeping family home after a day out at the coast.
3Easy to perceive or understand; clear. 明显的，明白的；清晰的，清楚的 the advantages were plain to see 优势显而易见。 it was plain that something was very wrong 很显然有地方出大错了。 Example sentencesExamples - But once over the zebra crossing and up close, it was plain that these two artists couldn't be more different.
- The team's development is plain to see and another thoroughly professional job against a committed, if limited, Swinton only underlines Leigh's potential.
- He draws an awful lot of fire, that's plain to see.
- Returning to our correspondent's writings in The Age of 8 April 1998, it's plain that neither is the case.
- ‘Let me make it absolutely plain that of course burglary is an enormously upsetting offence,’ he said.
- To an outsider, it's one of the hardest things to understand about the company, but the benefits are plain to see on stage.
- On several occasions it was quite plain that he had lapsed into his Porky Pig routine as he normally does when the heat is on or he has been caught out lying to the people again.
- The lack of highway capacity is plain to see as daily congestion is a fact of life on most key roads that link one province to another throughout Java, the country's economic center.
- On the day both teams showed great determination, and it was plain to see that winning would be no easy task.
- If all this proves he's an intelligent songwriter, it's also plain that he is in touch in an all-American way with his inner man.
- It is plain that many regard the new obligation contained in the Code of Ethics to provide reasons for decision as detracting from what they regard as an efficient system.
- Considering that only one third of domestic violence incidents are reported, it is plain that as well as domestic violence being a national concern, it is here, in our York communities.
- Since he clearly understands the law, it's plain that if we take him at his word, he appears to believe in free speech only for himself.
- It is increasingly plain that we do want a more engaged, modern head of state - but we are asking the single most ill-equipped family in the country to provide one.
- It is plain that lower interest rates make it cheaper for all to borrow.
- After all, it's plain that nothing really dreadful or heartbreaking could possibly happen to people this pleasant or cultured.
- Really, your Honours, if that is what the court meant to be saying, it is directly contrary to what they have said elsewhere and what was plain on the papers.
- Even without the GATS treaty, it's plain that global trade in services is already testing our notions of national sovereignty.
- Like many of us, it is also plain that he cannot understand why.
- ‘It is plain that had you not had alcohol you would not have resorted to these measures,’ he said.
Synonyms obvious, clear, crystal clear, as clear as crystal, evident, apparent, manifest, patent, visible, discernible, perceptible, perceivable, noticeable, detectable, recognizable, observable, unmistakable, transparent, palpable, distinct, pronounced, marked, striking, conspicuous, overt, self-evident, indisputable - 3.1attributive (of written or spoken usage) clearly expressed, without the use of technical or abstruse terms.
（书面或口头用法）表达清楚的，清新的；不用技术词汇或深奥词汇的 用简明英语写成的。 Example sentencesExamples - Prices are still going up but service does seem to have improved and restaurateurs are beginning to write menus in plain English.
- His content is in Farsi, Farsi written phonetically with English characters and plain English.
- Lancashire County Council's 32-page guide has been sent out to all officers and sets out rules on how to write letters in plain English.
- When it comes to the front page, newspapers favor plain language, in part to protect the readers from the seductions of rhetoric, of art.
- The award was presented by the Plain English Campaign - an independent pressure group that campaigns for information to be written in plain English.
- And when we do talk about it, we should do so clearly, in plain English - not in jumbled phrases of design jargon.
- Even so, we cannot see how this helps plaintiffs' contention that the plain meaning of ‘retail pet store’ does not include residences.
- On the other hand, he is fond of the kind of design analysis that leaves the uninitiated wishing he would speak in plain English, in terms the layman can understand.
- This information is written in plain English and is not suitable for computer analysis.
- Financial jargon is becoming a thing of the past due to IFSRA's efforts to educate consumers and encourage the financial industry to speak in plain English.
- To put it in plain language, let's suppose that here in front of us there is an animal and a man.
- What essentially is the debate about how to read a text that's written in plain English?
- In the United States, 44 of the 50 states require insurance contracts to be written in plain English.
- Explanations of terms should be in plain English.
- Manufacturers are not legally-obliged to provide you with a guarantee, but if they do it must be in plain English and clearly explain how to make a claim.
- Unless it is printed clearly in plain English, it could be misinterpreted.
- As with a lot of things in life, it's the preparation that often determines the success or failure of an effort to write documents in plain English.
- I think the candidates need to be very specific and speak in plain English.
- All our information is free, independent and written in plain English.
- They write in plain English, without jargon, and distill lengthy statements into clear, concise tables understandable at a glance.
Synonyms intelligible, comprehensible, understandable, coherent, accessible, uncomplicated, lucid, perspicuous, unambiguous, clear, simple, straightforward, clearly expressed, clear-cut, direct, digestible, user-friendly - 3.2 Not using concealment or deception; frank.
无遮拦的，真诚的；直截了当的，坦率的 he recalled her plain speaking 他回忆起她坦诚的话语。 Example sentencesExamples - The awards, designed to draw attention to the need for plain speaking, are now in their 23rd year and were celebrated at a ceremony in central London yesterday.
- It is apparent to him that his plain speaking is the reason for these attacks, and this goes to show that his statements are true.
- The billboards are the primary examples of that, projecting him as the plain speaking, not-quite-politician.
- He is from an era when blunt and plain speaking was applauded.
- But he easily outclassed him in argument and plain speaking.
- Is this issue beneath this great Prime Minister, who is blunt, and plain speaking, and goes on the front foot?
- If humour does not do the trick, we must hope for enlightenment from plain speaking - from education of the public in the ways of their government.
- Their politics were radically different, but each man believed plain speaking was essential to a democracy because it was the only way to tell the truth.
- She was down to earth, plain speaking, kind and considerate.
- Athletics coaches and administrators, not to mention a few journalists, have been on the receiving end of her plain speaking over the years.
- It does not commend itself to the masses, which say they like plain speaking, and it cannot be translated into action, which may be good or evil or neither but cannot be both.
- Too often what one has regarded as necessary plain speaking, the other has seen has offensive insensitivity.
- I realise, of course, that honesty is a thoroughly dangerous habit, but the avoidance of plain speaking is probably, in the long run, more destructive.
- The wooden spoon may beckon for St Johnstone, but were there an award for plain speaking, the club chairman would be an undoubted front-runner.
- His great Northern instinct for plain speaking, his sharp wit and irreverence will be greatly missed.
- Honesty and plain speaking are not virtues for politicians and diplomats.
- Which is, I am sure you will agree, plain speaking.
- Nothing is more artificial than plain speaking.
- The Daily Mail claimed that his honesty and plain speaking is the best defence Britain could have against extremism and social unrest.
- He was once a naive believer in the freedom of expression and the virtues of plain speaking - formerly a tradition in the north of England.
Synonyms candid, frank, outspoken, forthright, plain-spoken, direct, honest, truthful, blunt, downright, unvarnished, bald, straight from the shoulder, explicit, unequivocal
4(of a person) not beautiful or attractive. （妇女，少女）不漂亮的，不迷人的 the dark-haired, rather plain woman 长相很一般的黑发女人。 Example sentencesExamples - During the story, he becomes ashamed of his plain wife.
- My brother and sister are so plain compared to yours!
- Do they choose plain girls with no education or sense of style, and who will happily consider going to McDonalds on Saturday night?
- She had always been a plain child, though anyone who looked at her could tell who her mother was, for she looked much like her mother.
- He was plain, dark-haired, and slender with a long nose.
- He was a plain man of medium height and build.
- It was nice to see such an attractive Ruth as often she is rather plain compared to Elvira.
- She was an average looking girl, but she was plain like white paint.
- I tried to care for her and the child, and it was the most dreadful thing to see her change from that bubbling, bright girl into a tired, plain woman.
- What is he, really, except a plain boy with unkempt hair?
- She was plain to behold, but he knew the signs: she would blossom into a beautiful young woman.
- The plain girl was normally quick on the uptake, but it took her a few moments before the horrible realization dawned that none of those dresses had been for her after all.
- I had never come across a story where the girl was plain or ugly.
- Perfect posture can make a plain person stunningly attractive.
- She's a plain girl, and dresses in what is best suited, not best looking.
- Their kids would probably be plain, bare and simple-minded.
- I always used to look at myself as sort of a plain person.
- Only Fanny remains convinced that he is quite plain.
- Never before had she worried about what she looked like or being ignored, in fact she had wished that she was plain in features and thus left alone to do whatever she desired.
- I'm plain, I know I am, but I also know that if I tried I could be beautiful.
Synonyms unattractive, unprepossessing, as plain as a pikestaff, ugly, ill-favoured, unlovely, ordinary-looking 5attributive Sheer; simple (used for emphasis) 用于强调纯粹的，完全的 the main problem is just plain exhaustion 主要问题就是太疲倦了。 Example sentencesExamples - The two have no chemistry, and his personality is plain awful.
- Some are flipped, inverted, and just plain dyslexic.
- The suggestion that cabinet would sit there listening to tapes for hours on end is just plain silly.
- And of course half the audience was just plain bored, because it all seemed rather plotless and longhaired.
- If you feel overwhelmed, exhausted or just plain rundown, you probably are dealing with unhealthy amounts of stress.
- Many died from malnutrition, fighting, or just plain exhaustion before even getting to the construction sites.
- Who knows are they being ironic or just plain silly?
- After a good twenty minutes in one of these megastores, however, experience tells that the dizzy anticipation is usually replaced by just plain dizziness.
- It's a silly train wreck of a show, and at some point, you realize these kids are just plain bored.
- He was sharp and hard hitting, tender and sincere, funny and mischievous, humble and playful, and just plain entertaining.
- Is it appropriate punishment or just plain politics?
- That, as a factual judgment, I think is just plain wrong.
- As for her, she's just plain exasperated, what with that nose hanging off her face and a score pounding nonstop at her temples.
- The first is to create publicly accessible data about bloggers' personalities, which may have sociological value in addition to being just plain fun.
- Minimizing the number of systems that engineers deal with is also key, so that making GM products is cheaper and just plain simpler.
- He'd thrown so many blows - to little apparent effect - that he was just plain tired.
- On second thought, maybe that's just plain weird.
- Plus, it's just plain exhausting trying to say productive, generous, and constructive things all the time.
- Americans are just plain worn out from all that success.
- Seeing Mr. Universe look like this is just plain wrong.
Synonyms sheer, pure, downright, out-and-out, unmitigated, rank, nothing other than 6Denoting or relating to a type of knitting stitch produced by putting the needle through the front of each stitch from left to right. （针法）平针的。比较PURL 1 Also called knit (adjective) Example sentencesExamples - She offered a more varied needlework curriculum of plain work, marking, openwork, and embroidery along with reading and writing.
- When working the 101st row, knit the margin, also 9 stripes of the pattern, then knit 30 plain stitches, and resume the pattern to the end.
adverbpleɪnplān informal as submodifier Clearly; unequivocally (used for emphasis) 用于强调纯粹的，完全的 perhaps the youth was just plain stupid 或许那位青年不过是太笨了而已。 Example sentencesExamples - When you see counterproductive, invasive, or just plain stupid security, don't let it slip by.
- The trouble with most of the right wing positions are that they are just plain old fashioned stupid.
- That kind of business-as-usual strategy would have been considered hubris or just plain stupid a decade ago, but the sands have shifted.
- Some of the designs seem, at first glance, a little too complex and just too plain clever for their or New York's good.
- It seems quite simply to be plain clueless power-grabbing, to me.
- Think again; you do not have to have been personally liable, stupid or plain dangerous.
- He plays a single parent thief whose diplomatic skills take the form of naked and, at times, plain stupid aggression.
- I mean, let's be honest here, asking you to better it would be just plain greedy of me, wouldn't it?
- She was either completely clueless or just plain spiteful.
- They should have been happy at the prospect of fresh air, swathes of green and house prices which are stupid rather than plain insane.
- And finally, if you're over a size 6, have stretch marks or visible scars, or are simply plain ugly - don't despair!
- Was there a similar shakedown then of the just plain stupid ideas as we are experiencing now?
- There is town pride; and then there is just plain egocentric stupidity.
- I must say this up front: I have zero love of the so-called thug style, on ballplayers or anybody else - it's just plain ugly to me.
- Many of the styles back in the day were simply horrid, amusing or plain bizarre.
- Most of the posters on étapes are just plain ugly.
- Submissions - poetic, pathetic and just plain bizarre - fall into categories like Pride, Envy, Sloth and Gluttony.
- Now, we get to some other typos and a lot of just plain stupid false comments that were made in this book.
- Your statement on Nicaragua shows how utterly naive and just plain stupid you are.
- And who hasn't raved about a movie or a book that somebody has found to be totally inane or just plain boring?
Synonyms downright, utterly, absolutely, completely, totally, really, thoroughly, positively, profoundly, categorically, simply, incontrovertibly, unquestionably, undeniably
nounpleɪnplān 1A large area of flat land with few trees. 平原 Compare with prairie Example sentencesExamples - Your garden may be influenced by very different topography: mountains, hills, flat or rolling plains.
- Over the last century, internal migration has overwhelmingly been from mountains to plains, inland to coastal areas, and rural to urban settlements.
- They inhabit tundra, alpine meadows, coastal plains near salmon runs, and rivers and valleys.
- The zebras were once abundant in the plains and highly wooded areas of Africa, East and South of Sahara and forests of west from Ethiopia and Angola to the cape.
- With these they are able to dramatise plains, prairies, steppes and meadows.
- But it could mean the difference between living half-way up a mountain or living in a valley; living by the sea or living on a plain in a land-locked area.
- The earthquake struck an area that is mostly barren plains with scattered fertile land, in the shadow of the snow-crested mountains of the Hindu Kush.
- The land terrain in Cambodia is mostly made up of low lands, flat plains, with mountains in the Southwest and north.
- The area covers 1,200 hectares of land and consists of flat plains, foothills and a white sandy beach, sloping down towards a crystal blue sea.
- Two long, sandy plains dominate the coastal areas along the Indian Ocean to the east.
- The landscape includes flat desert plains, rugged savanna, and volcanic mountains.
- During high river discharges, overbank flows flooded extensive areas of the delta plain, creating swamps, coastal lakes and ephemeral channels.
- Most of the population live in highly urbanized areas along the coastal plains.
- Belgium's major geographic divisions are the coastal lowlands, the central plain, and the high plateau of the Ardennes.
- A wide area of coastal plains extends across the western seaboard, a region of phosphate mining and the cultivation of citrus, olives, tobacco, and grains.
- I assume our fathers saw these swells of land as flat and grassy plains like prairies.
- It consists of flat rocky plains, rocky mesas (land formations) in the south, and sandy dunes in the north.
- This area is surrounded by sandy plains and salt marshes.
- To the east of the Futa Jallon is Upper Guinea, a savanna region with plains and river valleys.
- In the Gobi area, you will find mountains, plains, steppes, forests and barren areas.
Synonyms grassland, flatland, lowland, pasture, meadowland, open country, prairie, savannah, steppe - 1.1the Plains
another term for Great Plains
Phrasesas plain as the nose on one's face informal Very obvious. 〈非正式〉非常明显，明明白白 Example sentencesExamples - He explained why he chose him: ‘That was a decision I felt had to be made as plain as the nose on my face - and that's fairly apparent.’
- After eliminating the impossibilities, the master of deduction explained, he had been left with one simple irrevocable conclusion, as plain as the nose on one's face.
- The state of your health is literally as plain as the nose on your face, according to such ancient healing systems as Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine.
- She was lying and both of them knew it as plain as the nose on her face.
- The linkage between political and paramilitary unionism is as plain as the nose on your face, but not enough, it seems, to inspire an Irish Times editorial entitled ‘DUP / Ulster Resistance’.
- What's the point of saying something that is as plain as the nose on your face?
- After the verdict was handed down, the press were talking to the jurors, interviewing the jury, and the one juror said Michael's innocence was as plain as the nose on his face.
- The humanitarian answer is as plain as the nose on your face.
- I recognized that deeply buried and at times right there as plain as the nose on my face - were plot elements of Bram Stoker's story that I had been unaware of.
- Anyway it was as plain as the nose on your face that for him to have a chance they needed to take Steve and probably Jarrod into the final, but he has this curious article of faith that you don't need ruckmen.
In a place that is clearly visible. very important clues are hidden in plain sight Example sentencesExamples - The enemy is in plain sight, caught in their cross hairs.
- Never leave your laptop in plain sight; cover it or put it in the trunk.
- The card was hidden in plain view - not concealed under, inside or beneath anything - but that didn't seem to make it easy to find.
- There are many unsolved mysteries in the decorative arts, and, as in some detective stories, the clue to their solution has been in plain sight all the time.
- Often, these places post the nutrition information of their menus in plain view.
- The ancient mysteries are hidden in plain sight.
- His appearance is unremarkable, and that makes it possible for him to hide in plain sight.
- The card is placed out of play but kept in plain sight.
- He notices a hawk resting in plain view on a tree limb a hundred yards distant.
- At times in this game, you'll be spotted despite the fact that you are seemingly well hidden, and at other times a guard will look right through you when you're standing in plain view.
- The footage was shot in plain view of the authorities who were present.
- The blackmail note that the police are looking for is in plain sight.
- She was in plain view all the time, but everyone was so worried they didn't see her.
- Officers found the fragment of one bullet lying in plain sight on the vehicle's driver's seat.
- Even now, watching this ballet, I have "eureka" moments when I discover another bit of meaning hidden in plain sight.
informal Used to emphasize the statement preceding or following. 〈非正式〉 用于强调前面或后面的观点当然，显然 she was a genius, plain and simple Example sentencesExamples - Harsh though it may seem, in the end this is justice plain and simple.
- A ‘real’ hunter does not kill to watch things suffer - he kills for food, plain and simple.
- He is a songwriter - and his approach to his craft is as plain and simple as that statement.
- At 44 years old, and as the most decorated female athlete of all time, she's a phenomenon, plain and simple.
- To be completely frank with you, the main reason that there is no comments system here is because I'm a control freak, plain and simple.
- These costs are the result of bad business, plain and simple; overspending on fringe players who did not play a significant role.
- ‘These people are not nationalists, they are criminals plain and simple,’ he said.
- It's about Toronto taking control of the look of our city, plain and simple.
- It's paper, plain and simple, and that will never change.
- Without them this show wouldn't have happened, plain and simple.
informal Very clearly. 〈非正式〉非常明显，明明白白 Example sentencesExamples - This is pure, one-man-band, Presidential propaganda, and we can all see it, as plain as day.
- The Moody Blues were an old-school British Invasion-trained band playing only to score chart hits, plain as day, and some might say in a manner much more shameless than some of their less pretentious competitors.
- Your contempt for anyone who disagrees with you is plain as day.
- What's lacking though, is plain as day: the lyrics here are generally horrendous, but always unintentionally funny.
- It has been as plain as day for three decades that the day would come when oil supply could no longer increase at the same rate as demand, and all the evidence is that that is starting to happen this year.
- It's plain as day that you two were meant to be together.
- Maybe not to the other, but I can see it plain as day.
- It's plain as day that the levelers are a very creative bunch of people that know how to design interesting and tension filled challenges.
- Yet many contemporaries worried that lawyers were merely complicating matters that ought to be as plain as day.
- A simple assertion, plain as day, coming from someone who ought to know.
OriginMiddle English: from Old French plain, from Latin planus, from a base meaning ‘flat’. verbpleɪnplān [no object]archaic 1Mourn or lament. 〈古〉哀悼；悲痛 Example sentencesExamples - 'Oh, Rover, don't you leave me, too,' she plained out.
- 1.1 Complain.
抱怨 Example sentencesExamples - When she was entertained she plained about her new-found fame.
- 1.2 Emit a mournful or plaintive sound.
悲叹；哀诉 Example sentencesExamples - She plained of love; she longed for wings.
OriginMiddle English: from Old French plaindre, from Latin plangere ‘to lament’. |