severe clear
adjective phrase

- an aviation term used by pilots to describe unlimited visibility conditions - typically, severe clear conditions occur after a storm or heavy weather

Forbes

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WORDS’ ORIGIN

“Severe” is from the 1540s from French severe (modern French sévère), or directly from Latin severus “serious, grave, strict, austere”. With reference to styles or tastes is from the 1660s, of diseases from 1725.

“Clear” is from around 1300, from Old French cler “clear” (modern French clair) – with meanings including:

- Sight and hearing: giving light, shining, luminous.

- Transparent: allowing light to pass through; free from impurities.

- Morally pure: guiltless, innocent.

- Colors: bright, pure.

- Weather or the sky or sea: not stormy; mild, fair, not overcast, fully light, free from darkness or clouds.

- Eyes or vision: clear, keen.

- Voice or sound: plainly audible, distinct, resonant.

- Of the mind: keen-witted, perspicacious.

- Of words or speech: readily understood, manifest to the mind, lucid, is from 1835.

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AVIATION-DERIVED IDIOMS

- pushing the envelope - to go beyond established limits; to pioneer (We’d be pushing the envelope by reducing material in that critical component.)

- pushing the panic button - a signal for a hasty emotional response to an emergency (If the machine stops, don’t push the panic button, just call this number for immediate assistance.)

- flying by the seat-of-one’s-pants - behaviour describing something done by intuition or by trial and error rather than through careful planning (Although data may be necessary, when time runs out we'll just have to fly by the seat-of-our-pants.)

- flying blind - acting without any feedback showing if one’s course is correct or not (Without accurate cost-tracking we’ll be flying blind regarding our profitability.)

- staying ahead of the curve - staying ahead of the competition or generally performing well (We believe that building this new factory will allow us to stay ahead of the curve.)

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“After yesterday’s storm, we can expect some SEVERE CLEAR weather today.”

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and,

Paul Smith, IBAN: DE75 7316 0000 0002 5477 40