(as) easy as ABC

Extremely easy, simple, or intuitive; requiring very little skill or effort. After so many years as an accountant, doing taxes is as easy as ABC for me. Don't worry, after some lessons and a bit of practice, driving is easy as ABC! They make it look easy as ABC on TV, but it's actually very tricky to do in real life.

(as) easy as falling off a log

Extremely easy; very intuitive; requiring little skill or effort. A: "I'm a little nervous about learning how to drive." B: "Don't worry. After some lessons and a bit of practice, it's as easy as falling off a log!" Boy, that test was easy as falling off a log! Grandma told me that knitting would be as easy as falling off a log, but I'm already all tangled up in yarn!

(as) easy as pie

Extremely easy, simple, or intuitive; requiring very little skill or effort. After so many years as an accountant, doing taxes is as easy as pie for me. Boy, that test was easy as pie! Oh please, I've been playing guitar for 20 years—that song is as easy as pie.

See also: easy, pie

(one's) ABCs

One's ability to remember or recite the English alphabet. Now I know my ABCs, next time won't you sing with me? Has Billy learned his ABCs yet? Molly seems to be having a great time in preschool—she's made a lot of friends and is learning her ABCs.

be (as) easy as ABC

To be extremely easy, simple, or intuitive; to require very little skill or effort. After so many years as an accountant, doing taxes is as easy as ABC for me. Don't worry, after some lessons and a bit of practice, driving is as easy as A-B-C! Grandma told me that knitting would be as easy as ABC, but I'm already all tangled up in yarn!

know (one's) ABCs

1. Literally, to know the letters of the alphabet. Wow, she's only two and a half, and she already knows her ABCs? That's very impressive! My grandfather never knew his ABCs, but he was still successful in life.

2. To know the essential or basic facts (about something). In this usage, "the" is sometimes used instead of "one's." I know you're new to a lot of this, so just stick with Sarah here until you know your ABCs. Look, I know this stuff isn't terribly exciting, but you need to know the ABCs of chemistry if you're going to become a doctor.

the ABCs of (something)

1. The essential facts or details about something. Can you just give me the ABCs of this chapter on mitosis so I don't fail the test?

2. The most basic or fundamental elements or aspects of some subject or thing. It's an intro-level class, so you'll just learn the ABCs of marketing.

the ABCs of something

Fig. the basic facts or principles of something. I have never mastered the ABCs of car maintenance.

know one's ABCs

Fig. to know the alphabet; to know the most basic things (about something). Bill can't do it. He doesn't even know his ABCs. You can't expect to write a letter when you don't even know your ABCs.

easy as pie

Also, easy as falling or rolling off a log . Capable of being accomplished with no difficulty, as in This crossword puzzle is easy as pie. The first term presumably alludes to consuming pie (since making pie requires both effort and expertise). The variants most likely allude to standing on a log that is moving downstream, a feat in which falling off is a lot easier than remaining upright. Mark Twain had it in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889): "I could do it as easy as rolling off a log." The first colloquial term dates from the early 1900s, the colloquial variants from the 1830s. For a synonym, see piece of cake.

See also: easy, pie

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

easy as pie

easy as ABC

If something is easy as pie or easy as ABC, it is very easy to do. Note: In the first idiom below, ABC is pronounced `a b c', as if you are spelling it out. With technology the way it is, it's as easy as pie to work from remote locations. With our guide, planning your US fly-drive holiday will be as easy as ABC. Compare with a piece of cake. Note: The reference is probably to eating a pie rather than making one.

See also: easy, pie

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

as easy (or simple) as ABC

extremely easy or straightforward.

From the 15th to the 17th century, a child's first spelling and reading book was commonly called an ABC , and this led to the development of its metaphorical use, ‘the basic elements or rudiments of something’.

easy as pie

very easy. informal

Pie as a metaphor for something pleasant was originally late 19th-century US slang. Compare with nice as pie and pie in the sky (at pie).

See also: easy, pie

(as) ˌeasy as ABˈC/ˈpie/falling off a ˈlog

(informal) very easy: Try using the new photocopier. It’s as easy as pie.

See also: ABC, easy, fall, log, off, pie

easy as pie

Informal

Capable of being accomplished or done with no difficulty.

See also: easy, pie

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

easy as pie

Not difficult; requiring little or no effort or expertise. The analogy no doubt is to eating pie rather than making it, which requires both effort and expertise. An American term dating from the early twentieth century, it became a cliché relatively recently. See also duck soup; easy as rolling off a log; piece of cake.

See also: easy, pie

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