English Explanatory Dictionary

plane sailing

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A technique for navigation using the assumption that the journey occurs over a plane or flat surface rather than the actual curved surface of the Earth, which is sufficiently accurate over short distances.
  2. Alternative spelling of plain sailing (“navigation of waters free from hazards or unfavourable winds; (figurative) something that is easy, simple, or straightforward”).

Pronunciation

/ˌpleɪn ˈseɪlɪŋ/ En-us-plain sailing.oga

Word forms

plane sailing plain sailing

Etymology

From plane (adjective) + sailing (noun), a variant of plain sailing probably by analogy with plane chart (“(nautical) chart representing the earth in which lines of latitude and longitude are respectively shown as parallel straight lines”) or plane scale (“(chiefly nautical, obsolete) scale or ruler with markings used for calculations, especially for navigation”).

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on P Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary