plain clothes

Origin

plain clothes

noun
clothing other than one's uniform, especially civilian clothes worn on duty by a police officer.
Also, plain·clothes.


Origin:
1815–25

plain-clothes, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Plain clothes is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
Collins
World English Dictionary
plain clothes
 
pl n
a.  ordinary clothes, as distinguished from uniform, as worn by a police detective on duty
 b.  (as modifier): a plain-clothes policeman

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

plain clothes
"ordinary dress" (as opposed to military uniform), 1822; of police detectives, it is attested from 1842. Also plainclothes.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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