a cinch
a cinch
also, a lead pipe cinch
Meaning | Synonyms
- an extremely easy task
- an absolute certainty
- something that is very easy to do
- a piece of cake
- as easy as pie
- an easy thing
- a simple task
- child's play
- a breeze
- a doddle
- a gift
- nothing
Example Sentences
- I have been preparing for this presentation for the last six months. This promotion will be a cinch for me.
- We can make some pasta in a cinch if you have the correct ingredients.
- There are some tips on the internet that makes starting your own business a cinch.
- My new dishwasher makes cleaning up a cinch.
- Beating their team in the finals will be a cinch. We are bigger and better prepared.
- Mathematics is a cinch for me. The only part that I struggle with is algebra.
- I was not confident of finishing the work in time, but with the right preparation, it became a cinch.
Origin
The word “cinch” means a girdle. It is typically used to harness a horse. The word dates back to the 1850s. The idiom has been in use since the 1890s. The original phrase is “a lead pipe cinch”. There are many conflicting stories regarding the origin and none that is corroborated. It first appeared in print in the 1880s. There is also an example of it in The Sphinx Apple by O. Henry (1907)
“Well, nobody wants a guy cutting in with buggies and gold bonds when he's got an option on a girl. Well, he goes around to see her. Well, maybe he's hot and talks like proprietor, and forget that an engagement ain't always a lead-pipe cinch.”
The phrase has since been shortened and today we usually say “it is a cinch“.