Plain English
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Plain, unmistakable terms. To tell a person in plain English what you think of him is to give your very candid opinion without any beating about the bush.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Plain English” mean?
Plain, unmistakable terms. To tell a person in plain English what you think of him is to give your very candid opinion without any beating about the bush.
Is “Plain English” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.