easy

an easy touch: see a soft touch attouch.

as easy as winking: seewinking.

come easy to present little difficulty to.

1989Tony ParkerA Place Called Bird College was a lot harder than High School, book work didn't come easy to me there.

easier said than done more easily talked about than put into practice.

easy as ABC: seeABC.

easy as falling off a log very easy. informal

☞ This expression was originally a mid-19th-century American one, but it is now in general use. It was used around the year 1880 by Mark Twain in the alternative form rolling off a log.

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 (atpie).

easy come, easy go used to indicate that something acquired without effort or difficulty may be lost or spent casually and without regret.

☞ Although recorded in this exact form only from the mid 19th century, easy come, easy go had parallels in medieval French and in the English sayings light come, light go (mid 16th century) and quickly come, quickly go (mid 19th century).

easy does it approach a task carefully and slowly. informal

easy meat a person or animal overcome, outwitted, or persuaded without difficulty. informal

easy on the eye (or ear) pleasant to look at (or listen to). informal

☞ Easy on the eye originated in the late 19th century as a US expression describing a pretty woman, a context in which it is still often used.

easy street a state of financial comfort or security. informal

free and easy: seefree.

go (or be) easy on someone be less harsh on or critical of someone. informal

go easy on (or with) something be sparing or cautious in your use or consumption of something. informal

have it easy be free from difficulties, especially those normally associated with a particular situation or activity. informal

I'm easy said by someone when offered a choice to indicate that they have no particular preference. informal

of easy virtue (of a woman) promiscuous.

☞ Easy in the sense of 'sexually compliant' is found in Shakespeare's Cymbeline: 'Not a whit, Your lady being so easy'.

take the easy way out

1 extricate yourself from a difficult situation by choosing a course of action offering the least effort, worry, or inconvenience, even though a more honourable alternative exists.

2 commit suicide. euphemistic

take it easy

1 approach a task or activity gradually or carefully.

2 relax.