plain Englishn.

a1438 Bk. Margery Kempe (1940) i. 113 (MED) Þu lyest falsly in pleyn Englysch.

1598 Chaucers Dreame in T. Speght Wks. G. Chaucer f. 355^v/2 Which ye shal heare..In plaine English, euil written.

1631 B. Jonson Bartholmew Fayre iv. iii. 57 in Wks. II But Adam Ouerdoo had beene worth three of 'hem, I assure you, in this place, that's in plaine english.

1665 R. Head Eng. Rogue I. xxix. sig. Aaa4 I was resolved to prosecute my design, wherefore in plain English I told her, that I loved her from the first interview.

1693 Humours & Conversat. Town 56 The Boon Companion, that is in plain English, a Rake-hell, is much caress'd.

1707 J. Dunton Athenian Sport 74 The Constellation call'd the little Bear, in Greek is Cynosura, which is in plain English, Dogs-Tail.

1752 (title) A modern preface put into plain English, by way of abstract, for the use of the poor.

1823 Lancet 5 Oct. 2 Consequently, we shall exclude from our pages the semibarbarous phraseology of the Schools, and adopt as its substitute, plain English diction.

1868 C. B. Norton & W. J. Valentine Rep. to Govt. U.S. on Munitions of War at Paris Universal Exhib. 1867 107 If we double the thickness, the outside..will be but one twenty-fifth as useful, or in plain English, nearly useless.

1935 W. E. B. DuBois in Jrnl. Negro Educ. 4 335 It is simply calling a spade a spade. It is saying in plain English: that separate Negro school, where children are treated like human beings..is infinitely better than making our boys and girls doormats to be spit and trampled upon.

1958 J. Wain Contenders v. 110 What I meant, in plain English, was that it would be easier to stand him a meal if he was on the spot: but I didn't put it that way; there would be no sense in making my English too plain.

1993 Eng. Today Jan. 43/1 We must all applaud the efforts of campaigners..who are trying to persuade writers of business and professional letters to use plain English.

2005 J. Anderson Mechanically Inclined ii. 61 Each operator's manual contains four types of information: [1.] In Plain English: I define the error or concept in language that is as plain as possible.

1645 Liberty of Consc. Pref. sig. A iij The plain english of the question is this: whether the Christian Magistrate be keeper of both Tables.

1699 J. Collier Def. Short View 79 Had Mr. Congreve understood this, or indeed the plain English of the Words, all his Cavilling and awkard Jests had been at an end.

1705 G. Stanhope Paraphr. III. 376 The plain English of what he thanks God for is in effect but Thus much.

1773 R. B. Sheridan Let. 12 May (1966) I. 80 His letter..begins with saying ‘We must have Mrs. Sheridan, somehow or other, if possible!’—the plain English of which is that, if her husband is not willing to let her perform, we will persuade him that he acts dishonourably.

1849 E. C. Gaskell Mary Barton I. xi. 214 I don't think I should have loved you now you have told me you meant to ruin me; for that's the plain English of not meaning to marry me till just this minute.

1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days ii. iv. 308 Now knocking over other people's chickens, and running off with them, is stealing. It's a nasty word, but that's the plain English of it.

1866 ‘G. Eliot’ Felix Holt I. vii. 175 All we have to ask is, whether a man's a Tory, and will make a stand for the good of the country?—that's the plain English of the matter.

1958 Times 28 Feb. 11/3 At the hearing he ‘will’ oppose and prove his avowed intention. That seemed to his Lordship..to be the plain English of section 26 (6) and section 30 (1) (f).