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A non-native English speaker told me:

Hope you are smooth in your plan.

What does it mean?

The only thing I found in Longman dictionary is:

someone who is smooth is polite, confident, and relaxed, but is often not sincere

This meaning does not make sense here.

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    Where was this sentence?? Context helps.
    – Lambie
    Commented Jul 9, 2017 at 15:09

2 Answers 2

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If that was said by a non-native speaker, it sounds like they are hoping you plan goes smoothly, meaning you don't experience any bumps (problems) executing the plan.

For clarity, this is not how a native speaker would express this, but it's easily understandable.

It's similar to saying

They run a smooth operation.

meaning things just work without problems or complications.

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  • is goes smoothly common by native speakers?
    – Stephen
    Commented Jul 9, 2017 at 14:37
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    @Stephen Yes, it sounds perfectly natural to say "I hope the plan goes smoothly." Common? Well, people say it. Don't really know how much ;)
    – DTRT
    Commented Jul 9, 2017 at 14:40
  • It's worth pointing out that although this is almost certainly the right answer, the actual sentence "Hope you are smooth in your plan." is ungrammatical to the point where it's barely understandable.
    – Guy G
    Commented Jul 10, 2017 at 8:30
  • @boatseller for posterity I would edit to highlight the fact that "smooth in your plan" is not idiomatic English, and most native speakers would be at least mildly confused just like OP.
    – G. Ann - SonarSource Team
    Commented Jul 10, 2017 at 9:02
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There is an idiom, smooth in your shoes, which means to be happy and at ease and confident.

Without further context, my guess would be that this is a use of "to be smooth in {something}", which means to be content, confident, and at ease with {something}.

"I hope you have thought your plan through and are happy with it and confident that it is going to work."

However, it could just as easily be an unidiomatic attempt at "I hope your plan is going smoothly".

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    Where is "smooth in your shoes" used? I don't think I've heard it before in AusEng.
    – curiousdannii
    Commented Jul 9, 2017 at 13:32
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    I've also never heard this in en-US.
    – briantist
    Commented Jul 9, 2017 at 13:34
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    Nor in British English.
    – alephzero
    Commented Jul 9, 2017 at 15:46
  • I used to work with a fellow from Fiji who used it of people who were suave, easygoing, and confident, at home in almost any situation. I assumed it was an Aussie idiom.
    – TimR
    Commented Jul 9, 2017 at 16:13
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    Not AusE. If it was Australian it would be 'smooth in your thongs' :-)
    – mcalex
    Commented Jul 10, 2017 at 4:53

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