plain
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++plain1 /pleɪn/ ●●● S2 W3 adjective 1 clear 清楚的CLEAR/EASY TO UNDERSTAND very clear, and easy to understand or recognize 清楚的，明白的，显而易见的，明显的 SYN obviousit is plain (that) It was plain that Giles was not going to agree. 显然贾尔斯是不会同意的。 The advantages were plain to see. 优势显而易见。 You have made your feelings plain enough. 你已经明确表示了你的感受。 Let me make it plain (=state it clearly). We do not want you here. 让我明说吧，我们不想你待在这儿。make yourself plain (=make what you are saying clear) 把自己的话说得很明白 If you do that again you will be severely punished. Do I make myself plain? 如果再那么干，你就会受到严厉惩罚，我说清楚了吗？as plain as day/the nose on your face (=very clear) 极为明显的，非常清楚的2 in plain English/language in clear and simple words, without using technical language 用简单的英语/语言 The document, written in plain English, tells you about your new policy. 这份文件用简明的英语写成，解释了你们的新政策。3 simple 简单的SIMPLE without anything added or without decoration 无装饰的，简单的，朴素的，单纯的 SYN simple a plain white blouse 一件朴素的白衬衫 a plain wooden table 一张朴素的木桌 plain yoghurt 原味酸奶 a plain gold wedding ring 一枚式样简单的黄金婚戒 Your essay should be written on plain paper (=paper with no lines on it). 你的文章应该写在无格白纸上。4 honest 诚实的CLEAR/HONEST showing clearly and honestly what is true or what you think about something 坦白的，直率的，爽快的 SYN frank, candid Let’s have some plain, truthful answers. 让我们听听坦率而真实的回答吧。 I don’t know, and that’s the plain truth. 我不知道，真的不知道。 The plain fact is people still buy books. 事实很明显，人们还在购买书籍。5 emphasis 强调VERY [only before noun] spoken used to emphasize that a particular type of behaviour, attitude etc is involved, usually a bad one 完全的，十足的〔一般用于强调不好的行为或态度〕 His motive was plain greed. 他的动机纯粹是贪婪。 When you told him his house was too cold that was just plain bad manners. 你跟他说他的屋子里太冷，这很不礼貌。6 not beautiful 不漂亮的UGLY not beautiful or attractive – often used because you want to avoid saying this directly 不好看的，不漂亮的，相貌平平的〔委婉说法〕5 Mrs Cookson was a rather plain woman.库克森夫人是个相貌平平的女人。n Mrs Jones was a rather plain woman.plain Jane (=used to talk about a woman who is not beautiful) 没有姿色的女人，外表平凡的女子7. in plain clothes SCPpolice officers in plain clothes are not wearing uniform 〔警察〕穿便衣的 → plain-clothes8 (just) plain Mr/Mrs etc spoken used to show that someone does not have or use a special title （仅仅是）不带头衔[称号]的先生/夫人等〔用来表示某人没有或不使用特殊头衔等〕 I don’t call him Uncle – just plain Bill. 我不叫他叔叔，就叫他比尔。9 be plain sailing EASYto be very easy to do or achieve 一帆风顺，非常顺利 If you can answer the first question, the rest of the test should be plain sailing. 如果你能答出测验的第一题，其余的题目就都是小菜一碟了。10 in plain sight American English if something is in plain sight, it is easy to see or notice, especially when it should be hidden 显眼的，露眼的 —plainness noun [uncountable]n THESAURUSplain without anything added, or without decorationa plain shirtThe fireplace was plain apart from a small design at the top.simple not having a lot of decoration or unnecessary things, but attractiveShe was wearing a simple black dress.The accommodation is simple but clean.austere very plain and with very little decoration, or very little in it – used about a room or place that does not make you feel welcomeHe dreaded having dinner in that austere dining room.The building was grey and a little austere.the austere beauty and grandeur of mountain scenery spartan plain and without anything that would make life easier or more comfortable – used especially about rooms, conditions, or ways of livingHer apartment is quite spartan.They had a very spartan life.stark very plain in a surprising way, with very little colour or decoration – used about rooms and placesSam sat looking at the stark white walls.It is a landscape of stark beauty. bare empty, or not covered by any decorationsHer office seemed very bare now that her desk had gone.He was tired of looking at the bare walls of his prison cell.
Examples from the Corpus
plain• Once again, the desirability of clear terms of contract, coupled perhaps with an unambiguous job description, is plain.• The company makes plain and sweet biscuits and soda crackers.• Catherine, who had been rather plain as a child, was now an attractive young woman.• a plain blue suit• He put the letter in a plain brown envelope.• The document is written in plain English.• Fit a plain glass or polaroid filter over the lens Load the cassette into the camcorder in dust-free conditions.• Or is it just plain indifference?• Miles was the plain one in an otherwise good-looking family.• Stuffed hard-boiled eggs, most often called deviled eggs, can be spicy, plain or very exotic.• Cool for 1 minute, then trim using a plain pastry cutter which is slightly larger than the biscuits.• She spoke slowly and carefully, using plain simple language.• plain vanilla ice cream• Do you have any plain white shirts?• The chapel was a small, plain, white-washed building.it is plain (that)• I have given up begging to be taken back into service since it is plain Annunciata is preferred.• From what I have heard of you it is plain enough you have fled from somewhere.• However this may be, it is plain that the district judge must have tacitly rejected the argument.• Yet it is plain that the selfishness of a gene can have nothing whatever in common with human egoism.plain paper• Displaying the results Smart presentation of results should always be done on plain paper.• Therefore, the letter was on plain paper.• All this information must also be included on captions, and if plain paper is being used the address should be added.the plain truth• I've never seen her before in my life, and that's the plain truth.• That is not a metaphor, it is the plain truth.• But the plain truth is that we can not say what was really done for the children or what the results were.plain Jane• But why is legwear suddenly going from plain Jane to peacock proud?plain2 ●●○ noun 1 (also plains) [countable]SG a large area of flat dry land （大）平原 → prairie2. [uncountable]DLH the ordinary stitch in knitting 〔编织的〕平针n COLLOCATIONSadjectivesthe open plain(s)On the open plains of east Africa are zebras, antelopes, and gazelles.the vast/great plain(s)Beyond lay the vast plains of the Central Valley.a flat plainHere a group of small hills rises unexpectedly out of the flat plain.a grassy plainThe village is situated on the high grassy plains at the foot of the Sierra.a fertile plainThe rains washed soil down to create fertile plains.Examples from the Corpus
plain• The Cheyenne, who also once lived in Minnesota, hunted the region of the Black Hills and the central plains.• the central Oahu plain• Some smooth plains consist of infill in some medium sized craters.• This impressive stone building has a commanding site on a hill above the surrounding plain.• At night there were no longer any bonfires to be seen, either on the hill or way out on the surrounding plain.• Today, most travellers who see the plains do it from thirty thousand feet.• the plains of Nebraska• The plain below where the buildings once stood is as empty as when Crazy Horse surrendered there.• Tipi poles were made of the slender trunks of young lodgepole pines, and were rare items on the treeless plains.• The mica dams dry out to form white plains, with a consistency of putty.plain3 adverb informalVERY used to emphasize an adjective, usually one referring to a bad quality 简直；完全〔用于强调，一般指不好的素质〕 It’s just plain crazy to spend all your pay as soon as you get it. 薪水一拿到手就花光，你简直是疯了。Examples from the Corpus
plain• Tell me plainly what you want.• The leaflet plainly states what the party's position is on immigration.• There was another little room, the Quiet Room, plain concrete block walls without chairs or windows.• He possesses plain good sense, and is in the full confidence of his Countrymen.• Stella Duncan was just plain lost.• They'd all queue up-excited, mistrustful or just plain scared.Origin plain1 (1200-1300) Old French Latin planus “flat, level, clear”plain1 adjective →n THESAURUS1plain2 noun →n COLLOCATIONS1plain3 adverbLDOCE OnlineChinese
easy clear, Corpus to recognize and understand very or
plain
plain1 S2 W3 /pleɪn/ 
adjective
SYN obvious
it is plain (that)
It was plain that Giles was not going to agree.
The advantages were plain to see.
You have made your feelings plain enough.
Let me make it plain (=state it clearly). We do not want you here.
make yourself plain (=make what you are saying clear)
If you do that again you will be severely punished. Do I make myself plain?
as plain as day/the nose on your face (=very clear)
2. in plain English/language in clear and simple words, without using technical language:
The document, written in plain English, tells you about your new policy.
3. SIMPLE without anything added or without decoration
SYN simple:
a plain white blouse
a plain wooden table
plain yoghurt
a plain gold wedding ring
Your essay should be written on plain paper (=paper with no lines on it).
4. HONEST showing clearly and honestly what is true or what you think about something
SYN frank, candid:
Let’s have some plain, truthful answers.
I don’t know, and that’s the plain truth.
The plain fact is people still buy books.
5. EMPHASIS [only before noun] spoken used to emphasize that a particular type of behaviour, attitude etc is involved, usually a bad one:
His motive was plain greed.
When you told him his house was too cold that was just plain bad manners.
6. NOT BEAUTIFUL not beautiful or attractive – often used because you want to avoid saying this directly:
Mrs Cookson was a rather plain woman.
plain Jane (=used to talk about a woman who is not beautiful)
7. in plain clothes police officers in plain clothes are not wearing uniform ⇨ plain-clothes
8. (just) plain Mr/Mrs etc spoken used to show that someone does not have or use a special title:
I don’t call him Uncle – just plain Bill.
9. be plain sailing to be very easy to do or achieve:
If you can answer the first question, the rest of the test should be plain sailing.
10. in plain sight American English if something is in plain sight, it is easy to see or notice, especially when it should be hidden:
Don’t leave your valuables in plain sight.
—plainness noun [uncountable]
▪ plain without anything added, or without decoration: a plain shirt | The fireplace was plain apart from a small design at the top.
▪simple not having a lot of decoration or unnecessary things, but attractive: She was wearing a simple black dress. | The accommodation is simple but clean.
▪austere very plain and with very little decoration, or very little in it – used about a room or place that does not make you feel welcome: He dreaded having dinner in that austere dining room. | The building was grey and a little austere. | the austere beauty and grandeur of mountain scenery
▪spartan plain and without anything that would make life easier or more comfortable – used especially about rooms, conditions, or ways of living: Her apartment is quite spartan. | They had a very spartan life.
▪stark very plain in a surprising way, with very little colour or decoration – used about rooms and places: Sam sat looking at the stark white walls. | It is a landscape of stark beauty.
▪bare empty, or not covered by any decorations: Her office seemed very bare now that her desk had gone. | He was tired of looking at the bare walls of his prison cell.
plain2 noun
1. (also plains) [countable] a large area of flat dry land ⇨ prairie:
The grassy plain gave way to an extensive swamp.
the vast plains of central China
2. [uncountable] the ordinary stitch in knitting
■ adjectives
▪the open plain(s) On the open plains of east Africa are zebras, antelopes, and gazelles.
▪the vast/great plain(s) Beyond lay the vast plains of the Central Valley.
▪a flat plain Here a group of small hills rises unexpectedly out of the flat plain.
▪a grassy plain The village is situated on the high grassy plains at the foot of the Sierra.
▪a fertile plain The rains washed soil down to create fertile plains.
plain3 adverb
informal used to emphasize an adjective, usually one referring to a bad quality:
It’s just plain crazy to spend all your pay as soon as you get it.
| I |
adjective Date: 1200-1300
Language: Old French
Origin: Latin planus 'flat, level, clear'
1. CLEAR very clear, and easy to understand or recognize Language: Old French
Origin: Latin planus 'flat, level, clear'
SYN obvious
it is plain (that)
make yourself plain (=make what you are saying clear)
as plain as day/the nose on your face (=very clear)
2. in plain English/language in clear and simple words, without using technical language:
3. SIMPLE without anything added or without decoration
SYN simple:
4. HONEST showing clearly and honestly what is true or what you think about something
SYN frank, candid:
5. EMPHASIS [only before noun] spoken used to emphasize that a particular type of behaviour, attitude etc is involved, usually a bad one:
6. NOT BEAUTIFUL not beautiful or attractive – often used because you want to avoid saying this directly:
plain Jane (=used to talk about a woman who is not beautiful)
7. in plain clothes police officers in plain clothes are not wearing uniform ⇨ plain-clothes
8. (just) plain Mr/Mrs etc spoken used to show that someone does not have or use a special title:
9. be plain sailing to be very easy to do or achieve:
10. in plain sight American English if something is in plain sight, it is easy to see or notice, especially when it should be hidden:
—plainness noun [uncountable]
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| II |
noun1. (also plains) [countable] a large area of flat dry land ⇨ prairie:
2. [uncountable] the ordinary stitch in knitting
| COLLOCATIONS |
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| III |
adverbinformal used to emphasize an adjective, usually one referring to a bad quality:
clear easy to see or understand and leaving no doubts 指显而易见的、明白易懂的、清楚的、明确的 ：◆ It was quite clear to me that she was lying. 我十分清楚她在撒谎。 obvious easy to see or understand 指明显的、显然的、易理解的 ：◆ It's obvious from what he said that something is wrong. 根据他所说的，显然是出问题了。 apparent [ ( easy to see or understandrather
指显而易见、明白易懂、显然 ：◆ It was apparent from her face that she was really upset. 从面容上一眼就可以看出她确实心绪烦乱。 evident ( easy to see or understandrather
指清楚的、明白的、显然的 ：◆ The orchestra played with evident enjoyment. 管弦乐队演奏得兴致勃勃。 plain easy to see or understand 指清楚的、明显的、浅白的 ：◆ He made it veryplain that he wanted us to leave.他明确表示要我们离开。
which word? 词语辨析
These words all have almost exactly the same meaning. There are slight differences in register and patterns of use. If you make sth clear/plain , you do so deliberately because you want people to understand sth; if youmake sth obvious , you usually do it without meaning to.以上各词意思几乎相同，只是在语体风格和句型使用上稍有区别。make sth clear/plain 表示刻意为使别人明白；make sth obvious 通常并非刻意 ：◆ I hope I make myself obvious. ◆ Try not to make it so clear/plain. In the expressions clear majority ,for obvious reasons ,for no apparent reason andplain to see , none of the other words can be used instead. You can havea clear/an obvious/a plain case of sth but not◆ an evident case of sth 在 clear majority（明显多数）、for obvious reasons（因为显而易见的原因）、for no apparent reason（没有明显的原因）和 plain to see（显而易见）中，表示 “明显” 的词不能替换。可以用 clear/obvious/plain case of sth（明显的情况），但不能用 an evident case of sth。
Patterns
clear/obvious/apparent/evident/plain to sb/sthclear/obvious/apparent/evident/plain that/what/who/how/where/why… to seem/become/make sth clear/obvious/apparent/evident/plainperfectly/quite/very clear/obvious/apparent/evident/plain
plain used for talking about a fact that other people may not like to hear; honest and direct in way that other people may not like 用于他人可能不乐意听的事实，或指直率、直接得让人不喜欢 ：◆ The plain fact is that nobody really knows. 事实很明显，没有人真正了解。 simple [ 用于他人可能不乐意听的事实，或指事物简单明了 ：◆ The simple truth is that we just can't afford it. 事实很简单，我们就是付不起。
plain or simple? 用 plain 还是 simple？
stark ( used for describing an unpleasant fact or difference that is very obviousrather
用于描述令人不快的事实或区别十分明显、鲜明 ：◆ The stark truth is that there is not enough money left. 明摆着的事实是剩下的钱已经不够了。 NOTE The simple/plain truth may be sth that some people do not want to hear, but it may be good for them to hear it anyway. Thestark truth is sth particularly unpleasant and has no good side to it at all.* simple/plain truth 指所谈的事尽管不中听，但听了可能会有好处。stark truth 指所谈之事特别令人不快，而且没有任何好处。 bare [ 指最基本的、最简单的 ：◆ She gave me only the bare facts of the case. 她只给我介绍了这个案件的一些基本情况。 unequivocal ( expressing your opinion or intention very clearly and firmly指表达明确的、毫不含糊的、斩钉截铁的 ：◆ The reply was an unequivocal 'no'. 回答是个干脆利落的 “不” 字。
Patterns
the plain/simple/stark/bare/unequivocal truth a(n) plain/simple/stark/bare/unequivocal fact/statement a(n) plain/simple/unequivocal answer
