Part 313

Our troops beat an army in plain fight.

Felton.

3. Not intricate or difficult; evident; manifest; obvious; clear; unmistakable. "'T is a plain case." Shak.

4. (a) Void of extraneous beauty or ornament; without conspicious embellishment; not rich; simple. (b) Not highly cultivated; unsophisticated; free from show or pretension; simple; natural; homely; common. "Plain yet pious Christians." Hammond. "The plain people." A. Lincoln. (c) Free from affectation or disguise; candid; sincere; artless; honest; frank. "An honest mind, and plain." Shak. (d) Not luxurious; not highly seasoned; simple; as, plain food. (e) Without beauty; not handsome; homely; as, a plain woman. (f) Not variegated, dyed, or figured; as, plain muslin. (g) Not much varied by modulations; as, a plain tune.

Plain battle, open battle; pitched battle. [Obs.] Chaucer. -- Plain chant (Mus.) Same as Plain song, below. -- Plain chart (Naut.), a chart laid down on Mercator's projection. -- Plain dealer. (a) One who practices plain dealing. (b) A simpleton. [Obs.] Shak. -- Plain dealing. See under Dealing. -- Plain molding (Join.), molding of which the surfaces are plain figures. -- Plain sewing, sewing of seams by simple and common stitches, in distinct from fancy work, embroidery, etc.; -- distinguished also from designing and fitting garments. -- Plain song. (a) The Gregorian chant, or canto fermo; the prescribed melody of the Roman Catholic service, sung in unison, in tones of equal length, and rarely extending beyond the compass of an octave. (b) A simple melody. -- Plain speaking, plainness or bluntness of speech.

Syn. -- Level; flat; smooth; open; artless; unaffected; undisguised; frank; sincere; honest; candid; ingenuous; unembellished; downright; blunt; clear; simple; distinct; manifest; obvious; apparent. See Manifest.

Plain, adv. In a plain manner; plainly. "To speak short and pleyn." Chaucer. "To tell you plain." Shak.

Plain, n. [Cf. OF. plaigne, F. plaine. See Plain, a.] 1. Level land; usually, an open field or a broad stretch of land with an even surface, or a surface little varied by inequalities; as, the plain of Jordan; the American plains, or prairies.

Descending fro the mountain into playn.

Chaucer.

Him the Ammonite Worshiped in Rabba and her watery plain.

Milton.

2. A field of battle. [Obs.] Arbuthnot.

Lead forth my soldiers to the plain.

Shak.

Plain, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plained (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Plaining.] [Cf. Plane, v.] 1. To plane or level; to make plain or even on the surface. [R.]

We would rake Europe rather, plain the East.

Wither.

2. To make plain or manifest; to explain.

What's dumb in show, I'll plain in speech.

Shak.

Plain"ant (?), n. [See 1st Plain.] (Law) One who makes complaint; the plaintiff. [Obs.]

Plain"-deal`ing (?), a. Practicing plain dealing; artless. See Plain dealing, under Dealing. Shak.

Plain"-heart`ed (?), a. Frank; sincere; artless. Milton. -- Plain"- heart`ed*ness, n.

Plain"ing, n. Complaint. [Poetic] Shak.

Plain"ing, a. Complaining. [Poetic] Bryant.

Plain"-laid` (?), a. (Naut.) Consisting of strands twisted together in the ordinary way; as, a plain-laid rope. See Illust. of Cordage.

Plain"ly, adv. In a plain manner; clearly.