plane sailing

English

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”).^[1]

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˌpleɪn ˈseɪlɪŋ/
Homophone: plain sailing
Rhymes: -eɪlɪŋ
Hyphenation: plane sail‧ing

Noun

plane sailing (uncountable)

(nautical) 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.
- 1735, Benjamen Martin, A New Compleat and Universal System or Body of Decimal Arithmetick, page 318:
  In Plain Sailing, or That by the Plain Chart, the Parts of a Triangle receive new Denominations.
(figurative, archaic) Alternative spelling of plain sailing (“navigation of waters free from hazards or unfavourable winds; (figurative) something that is easy, simple, or straightforward”)

Alternative forms

plain sailing (obsolete)

Translations

technique for navigation using the assumption that the journey occurs over a plane or flat surface

Finnish: please add this translation if you can
Macedonian: please add this translation if you can

References

^ “plane sailing, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, July 2023; “plane sailing, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.