bright as a button—(usually of children) intelligent; quickminded:
- You can’t fool Mandy. She may be only six years old, but she’s bright as a button.
Note: The expression is antonymous in meaning to the phrase bright as a two-watt bulb—(Austral., ironic) dull or stupid:
- Johnnie’s about as bright as a two-watt bulb, and sometimes the light’s a little slow coming on.
bright as a new pin—said of smth. spotlessly clean and shiny:
- After Nora cleaned the house, it was as bright as a new pin.