🗓️ Idiom: Plain Sailing
💬 Meaning
- Used to describe a task or situation that is easy and without problems once it has started.
- It often refers to a process or activity that goes smoothly and effortlessly.
🧠 Example Sentences
- Once the onboarding was complete, the rest of the training was plain sailing.
- The recruitment process was plain sailing after they found the right candidate.
- Getting started was tough, but everything has been plain sailing since then.
🏛️ Origin
The idiom comes from nautical terminology. In sailing, “plain sailing” described a situation where the sea was calm and conditions were ideal for an easy voyage. It later took on a more general meaning.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
Once the systems were set up, the transition became __________ sailing.
Answer
plain
2. Choose the correct meaning of “plain sailing”:
A) A confusing situation
B) A process that goes smoothly
C) A risky decision
Answer
B) A process that goes smoothly
3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:
“Everything went smoothly after the orientation session.” → Change the sentence using: plain sailing
Answer
It was plain sailing after the orientation session.
ℹ️ Other Useful Pages
👉 HR and Recruitment Idioms
👉 Business English Idioms List
👉 Student Space
👉 Tutor Toolkit
Rob is a CELTA qualified English teacher with 15 years of international experience. He has a BSc and PGDip from Loughborough and St Andrews universities in the UK. He has taught in Thailand and Saudi Arabia and now works with professionals worldwide.
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