Meanings
adjectivesmart as paint (not comparable)
- not comparablesimileVery smart in appearance.
- not comparablesimileVery intelligent.
'You have to be as smart as paint to keep this Puddin' in order. He's that artful, lawyers couldn't manage him.'
1918, Norman Lindsay, The Magic Pudding1 more example
'But now, you look here: you're young, you are, but you're as smart as paint. I see that when I set my eyes on you, and I'll talk to you like a man.'
1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC
Cite this entry
APA
smart as paint. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smart%20as%20paint
MLA
“smart as paint.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smart%20as%20paint. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “smart as paint,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smart%20as%20paint.
Source: smart as paint on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.