express vs plain

express

adj
  • Specific or precise; directly and distinctly stated; not merely implied. 

  • Truly depicted; exactly resembling. 

  • Moving or operating quickly, as a train not making local stops. 

  • Providing a more limited but presumably faster service than a full or complete dealer of the same kind or type. 

verb
  • To transcribe deoxyribonucleic acid into messenger RNA. 

  • To convey or communicate; to make known or explicit. 

  • To press, squeeze out (especially said of milk). 

  • To translate messenger RNA into protein. 

adv
  • Moving or operating quickly, as a train not making local stops. 

noun
  • An express office. 

  • That which is sent by an express messenger or message. 

  • A mode of transportation, often a train, that travels quickly or directly. 

  • A service that allows mail or money to be sent rapidly from one destination to another. 

  • An express rifle. 

  • A messenger sent on a special errand; a courier. 

plain

adj
  • Downright; total, unmistakable (as intensifier). 

  • Clear; unencumbered; equal; fair. 

  • Not a trump. 

  • Containing no extended or nonprinting characters (especially in plain text). 

  • Not unusually beautiful; unattractive. 

  • Evident to one's senses or reason; manifest, clear, unmistakable. 

  • Honest and without deception; candid, open; blunt. 

  • Simple in habits or qualities; unsophisticated, not exceptional, ordinary. 

  • Ordinary; lacking adornment or ornamentation; unembellished. 

  • Having only few ingredients, or no additional ingredients or seasonings; not elaborate, without toppings or extras. 

  • Of just one colour; lacking a pattern. 

adv
  • Simply. 

noun
  • A lamentation. 

  • An expanse of land with relatively low relief, usually exclusive of forests, deserts, and wastelands. 

How often have the words express and plain occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )