Flat as a pancake

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Meaning

Completely level or dull, no rise at all.

Origin

From 16th-century England, tied to pancakes; flat by nature, slang by 1610s for level. A 1690s play uses it for a dull wit.

Variants

  • As a pancake

Usage Examples

  • The land's flat as a pancake; nothing grows.
  • His joke fell flat as a pancake; no laughs.
  • Flat as a pancake; boring day!

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