plain as a pikestaff
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Synonym of plain as day.
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
―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.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org). Figurative class: Simile (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “plain as a pikestaff” mean?
Synonym of plain as day.
Is “plain as a pikestaff” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.