Take a look at the sky. Is it blue? Maybe the sky doesn’t always appear blue but that idea doesn’t apply in this idiom. This idiom simply emphasizes ‘Yes’ and is meant to ridicule a previously asked question.
It implies that the POLAR question that has been asked earlier I obviously a ‘Yes’. It has to be a polar question for a ‘yes’ response to make sense.
15 Phrases Similar to “Is The Sky Blue?”
- Is water wet?
- Do birds fly?
- Is the Pope Catholic?
- Do fish swim?
- Absolutely, Yes
- Definitely not
- As plain as day
- As you can see.
- I think so
- As plain as the nose on your face.
- Even a blind man could see that.
- Do bears have fur?
- What do you think?
- I have no idea
- Is blood red?
Is water wet?
From the structure of this question, you can tell that it means the same as ‘Is the sky blue?’ You may be wondering if water can be considered wet.
However, it is more of an idiom than a rhetorical question whose answer is ‘meant’ to be ‘Yes’. It is totally normal to dispute this idea but you may want to discard whatever notion you have concerning this idiom.
We can’t fix it even if we can prove our contrary opinions towards the literal implications of an idiom.
You can respond with this rhetorical question when you are asked a polar question with an obvious ‘yes’ answer.
You may also use this if the polar question is just an opinion that you can prove to be true.
Do birds fly?
This question is a rhetorical device used to draw attention to a universally accepted truth.
When someone asks, “Do birds fly?” they are making a statement about a basic characteristic of birds that requires no debate. It’s a simple and effective way to emphasize widely known facts and can be used in various contexts to highlight the straightforward nature of certain concepts.
Say this only to someone who knows what the idiom means. As explained earlier, the literal implication of an idiom doesn’t matter.
Is the Pope Catholic?
The Catholic church is very popular so the Pope should also be a popular character and his affiliation with the Catholic church should be widely acknowledged.
The Pope is the head of the Catholic church so, of course, he has to be Catholic. It is like asking if the President of China is Chinese while knowing a foreigner can’t be allowed to be president.
It is simply a rhetorical question that implies an emphatic ‘Yes’. A response is not expected for this question. Rather, it is a response to another question implying that the answer is obvious.
Do fish swim?
Do fish swim? If they don’t, what do you call what they do in the water? This would be such a stupid argument but you should get the point. It is the same as asking if the Pope is Catholic or if the sky is blue.
These things are obvious. You can imagine someone asking you these questions and you actually giving answers.
Giving an answer with seriousness would seem more stupid than the questions because you are obviously being toyed with.
This is a way of putting an emphasis on your ‘Yes’ answer to a polar question. When you ask this question, the person gets the answer immediately but hesitates to say it because it sounds stupid, then he or she would realize that you are giving an answer to his or her question.
Absolutely, Yes
With this, you will be passing your message directly and the person will understand you immediately. Asides from being easily understood, it is also less dismissive… or maybe not dismissive at all. This makes it a better alternative.
You can say ‘absolutely’ to agree with what a person has suggested. It may also be a ‘Yes’ answer to a polar question. It places enough emphasis on ‘yes’.
Again, it is a better option if you don’t want to sound rude to whom you are conversing with. On the other hand, ‘Is the sky blue’ may sound ridiculous and insulting.
Definitely not
‘Definitely’ is another simple way to say ‘Yes’ to a polar question. It is a safe alternative to ‘Is the sky blue’ and the other similar rhetorical questions that have been mentioned earlier.
As explained before, ‘Is the sky blue’ can sound demeaning to whomever you are responding to. The same applies to the other rhetorical questions that simply mean ‘Yes’.
‘Definitely’ and ‘Absolutely’ do not just imply a ‘Yes’ answer but also put a reasonable emphasis on it.
The phrase above, ‘Definitely not’, is the near opposite of ‘Is the sky blue’. This is an emphatic ‘No’ response to a polar question. You can say this if you are sure a person’s suggestion is wrong.
As plain as day
We all have heard this idiom from one place or the other and we may have used it in conversations once or twice so it requires no wide elucidation.
It is very similar to ‘Is the sky blue’, though it may not work properly in response to a polar question. However, this doesn’t mean it can’t respond to a polar question.
When you say something is as plain as day, you are implying that it is very clear for everyone to see. Of course, the day can’t be plain and clear to just you unless everyone else is blind.
You can give this response to a polar question if the person is trying to confirm an idea. For example, he or she may ask a question like ‘Did the man really do it?’
In response, you can say ‘It is as plain as day’.
As you can see
This is another way of saying ‘Yes’. It is not an idiom but it is an expression that is used often in faily conversations. It is used in stating the obvious.
One can say ‘As you can see, the man is dead’. This statement implies that a man is dead and the speaker doesn’t even have to say it.
In other words, the fact is clear and doesn’t need to be stated. The evidence is there and doesn’t need to be sought or presented.
You can give this response to a popular question that has been asked to confirm an idea. It simply says ‘Yes’ and implies that the question shouldn’t be asked since the idea is obvious.
I think so
This is another ‘Yes’ but the emphasis is left out. In fact, the surety is left out. This is one way to say ‘Yes’ to a question without seeming confident.
There are times we think we know some things but we really are not sure. It is better to express our uncertainty instead of seeming so confident about a hunch.
When you say ‘I think so’, you are clearly expressing that you are not giving a sure answer but you are leaning closer to a ‘Yes’.
You are supporting the idea in the question but for certain reasons that don’t prove your answer as certain. You may further state why you ‘think so’. You may also state why you are not sure of what you are thinking.
As plain as the nose on your face
This is the same as saying something is as plain as day. The nose on your face is definitely plain. It is nearly impossible to hide the nose on your face.
Whatever happens to your nose will be very obvious. That is what this idiom means.
When you say something is as plain as the nose on a person’s face, it means it is very clear. You can use this as a response to a question of confirmation.
This indirectly says ‘Yes’ to the person’s question and implies that the answer is clear to everyone.
Even a blind man could see that
A blind man isn’t seeing anything. Let’s get that out of the way. This is an idiom that we are familiar with. We are also familiar with this kind of expression.
This is one of many expressions that come as hyperboles to express simple ideas.
When you say ‘even a blind man could see that’, you are simply saying it is stupid to be ignorant about a particular thing.
Of course, a blind man may not see what you are talking about but it is way too clear for everyone to see and no one should doubt what is so obvious to them.
Give this answer if a person is asking a polar question of confirmation.
Do bears have fur?
I have never been with bears so maybe they are not covered in fur. Well, they have fur. It is another one of those rhetorical questions which are meant to emphasize ‘Yes’.
Give this response when you are being asked a question whose answer is obviously a ‘Yes’. This idiom will be much clearer to someone who already knows what the idiom means.
Otherwise, this may just be taken as an actual question.
What do you think?
This is a good response to a polar question, though it is not what is expected of you. When Polar questions are asked, the answer expected from you is either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
These are the two options you should have but that may be way too limited. They may also be way too specific for your understanding of the question.
This particular response does not say ‘Yes’. It doesn’t say ‘No’ either. It doesn’t give a direct answer to the question. Rather, it throws the question back to the person asking. It won’t make sense in every case.
Ask this question if you want the person to guess the answer. You may also ask this question if you believe the person already has an idea and just wants to hear you out or get a confirmation.
In this case, this question implies that you are not sure of the answers you will be giving.
I have no idea
As mentioned earlier, ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ may be way too limited as the only options under a polar question. We may have to devise our responses to explain ourselves better
How do you answer a ‘Yes or No’ question if you don’t even know what it’s about? Instead of lying, you can simply say you don’t know what the question is about or you just don’t know anything about the topic of the conversation.
Is blood red?
This makes it a better rhetorical question to emphasize ‘Yes’. There will be a hesitation to answer this question immediately after the person realizes how unreasonable it sounds.
The answer will also be passed clearly.