Obviousness: English Vocabulary List

at a time when everyone can witness something

"It happened in broad daylight."

"The thief stole the bicycle in broad daylight without caring that many people were watching him from the windows."

clearly and without causing any confusion

"Message was loud clear."

"The instructions for the new software were explained loud and clear, leaving no room for any misunderstanding."

in a way that can obviously be seen or easily understood

"It is clear as day."

"The answer was as clear as day, so everyone understood the situation immediately."

written or stated simply and clearly

"Tell me in plain English."

"The lawyer explained the contract in plain English so that his client could understand every single word without any confusion."

in a way that is easy to notice or recognize someone or something

"He stood out mile."

"Her bright pink hat made her stand out a mile away in the crowd of people wearing neutral colors."

used when something is either obvious or within one's field of vision but one does not notice it

"The keys were right under my nose."

"The missing keys were right under my nose on the kitchen table the whole time I was searching."

to be noticeably different from other people or things, often in a way that is unpleasant or embarrassing

"He stuck out badly."

"Wearing his formal suit to the casual beach party, he stuck out like a sore thumb among everyone else."

not difficult at all to understand or see

"It is plain as a pikestaff."

"His intentions were as plain as a pikestaff, and nobody could misunderstand them."

really easy to understand or notice

"It is plain as day."

"The answer was as plain as the nose on your face, but nobody in the room could see it."

to be extremely easy to notice

"It stood out mile."

"The error in the calculation was so obvious that it was easy to spot and stood out a mile from the rest of the numbers."

in a way that everyone can see or know about what is happening

"He showed his anger for all to see."

"The celebrity couple argued in public for all the world to see and the paparazzi took many photographs of the fight."

to state that something is logical or reasonable based on the available evidence or common sense

"It stands to reason that he is tired."

"It stands to reason that if you do not study for the exam you will not get a good grade on it."

used to refer to something that is poorly hidden

"His comment was a thinly veiled threat."

"His comment was a thinly veiled criticism of the manager who was standing only a few feet away from him."

to demonstrate a particular fact or characteristic in a very clear way

"Failure had it written."

"Given his constant complaining and negative attitude, the failure of the project had his involvement written all over it."

(a person's emotions or thoughts) clearly visible through their facial expression, body language, or behavior

"The guilt was written all over her face."

"The guilt was written all over his face when the teacher asked who had broken the window in the classroom."

something that was supposed to be kept from others but is not anymore

"The affair was an open secret."

"The affair was an open secret and everyone knew about it but no one spoke openly."

expressed or explained very easily and clearly

"His explanation was crystal clear."

"The professor's explanation of the complex theory was crystal clear to all the students."