Idiom: It's not rocket science

 

"It's not rocket science."


Meaning

  • Used to say that you don't think that something is very difficult to do or to understand.
  • “It’s not rocket science” is a common English idiom that’s used to emphasize how simple something is, especially compared to rocket science.
  • Saying it’s not rocket science is another way to say this should be simple to understand.

Similar phrases: It's not brain surgery, a piece of cake, a walk in the park, It's not complicated


Origin

This expression is a euphemism for This is an easy thing to understand. The idea behind the expression is that rocket science is a very complicated field, and one must be very smart in order to understand it.

This expression became popular in the 1980s. However, a similar expression, it’s not brain surgery, predates it by about 20 years. Both the field of rocket science and brain surgery are notorious for being complicated.

Note

A person often says this when someone else is struggling to understand something that the first person thinks should be simple. It has the connotation of "Why is this so hard for you?" so it is not appropriate to say in a formal or academic setting.


Example Dialog

A: How do you use this coffee machine?

B: Oh, come on! It's not rocket science just putting a coffee and then press the button.


Example Sentences

  • It's pretty simple, it's not rocket science.
  • Driving a car is not rocket science. I don't know why people don't know how to drive better.
  • My coach always said, "Basketball is not rocket science. It's about putting the ball in the basket."
  • I am putting together a table I bought online. The instructions say it is not rocket science, but I'm having a hard time putting the table together.
  • Look, all you need to do is reformat the hard drive on your computer. It isn't rocket science!
  • Don't you know how to do this? It’s not rocket science.
  • Don’t worry, you’ll master this quickly, it’s not rocket science.
  • Sure, it took a little bit of time to figure out, but reinstalling the modem wasn't rocket science or anything.
  • Don't worry, it's not rocket science. Solving this equation is as easy as 1-2-3.
  • To improve your listening comprehension, all you need  to do is listen to podcasts or videos  everyday. It's not rocket science. There are tons of resources on the internet you can use.
  • It's not rocket science but it just takes a little bit longer to understand.
  • That's the basic way of making audio descriptions, so it's not rocket science. The hardest part is writing the content.
  • When losing weight, some people will go and say it's not rocket science. You just have to eat less and exercise more.
  • I think I should be able to figure out how to fix the light, it's not rocket science.

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