smart as paint

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smart as paint (not comparable)

1. (simile) Very smart in appearance.
2. (simile) Very intelligent.
   • 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:

     '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.'

   • 1918, Norman Lindsay, The Magic Pudding:

     'You have to be as smart as paint to keep this Puddin' in order. He's that artful, lawyers couldn't manage him.'