Captain Obvious
Meaning: A mocking name for someone who states the obvious.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “"It's raining, so the ground is wet." "Thanks, Captain Obvious."”
Category: The Absurd
Origin: A joke superhero title, common in American slang from the late 20th century. The French equivalent recalls the 16th-century Marshal de La Palice, whose epitaph was turned into a song of absurd truisms.
Equivalents in other languages
- French: Une lapalissade — literally: A La Palice-ism
More idioms — The Absurd
- diddly-squat — Nothing at all.
- a fat lot of good that does me — That is of no use to me at all.
- what have you been smoking? — Said to someone whose idea sounds crazy.
- yada yada yada — And so on; skipping boring details.
- walk a tightrope — To be in a situation where one small mistake would be disastrous.
- lose one's marbles — To go crazy.
More English idioms
- think the moon is made of green cheese — To be very gullible.
- ants in one's pants — Restless, unable to sit still.
- blistering barnacles — A comic exclamation of surprise or anger.
- let's hit the road — Let's leave; let's get going.
- gone with the wind — Gone forever, vanished without a trace.
- without fanfare — Quietly, without any publicity.
From our proverbs
- A man may hold his tongue in an ill time. — Silence during conflict or crisis preserves safety and dignity better than speaking in an…
- Confine your tongue, lest it confine you. — Careless speech invites consequences that restrict your freedom far more than silence eve…
- Keep your tongue within your teeth. — Silence prevents harm; unspoken words cannot wound or betray you.