clear as crystal—
1. (of water, etc.) unclouded; transparent:
- The cave was long and wide and pervaded by cold water, clear as crystal.
2. (of a situation) very clear; easily understood:
- I don’t know why you can’t understand the instructions—they’re as clear as crystal to me.
Note: The expression does not fully correlate in meaning with the phrase clear as a bell—
1. (of sound) extremely clear:
- When his daughter telephoned him from America he could hear her as clear as a bell.
2. = clear as crystal 2:
- When I write something, the meaning is clear as a bell to me. When someone reads what I wrote, the interpretation may be very different.
clear as mud—
1. (joc.) = clear as crystal 2:
- It was clear as mud that Angelides was very smart. But it was also clear that he was not a politician….
2. (ironic) not at all clear:
- I’m now giving up as I’ve wasted too much time on this and the instructions are about as clear as mud.