rocket science

Proverbially difficult field

Rocket science is the branch of engineering and physics concerned with the design and propulsion of rockets and spacecraft.

The term appears most often in negative constructions—It's not rocket science—to indicate that something is not particularly difficult to understand or accomplish.

This colloquial use treats rocket science as the benchmark for intellectual complexity, suggesting that if actual rocket scientists can figure out orbital mechanics, you can manage to assemble furniture or follow a recipe.

aerospace

propulsion

Force driving movement forward

thrust · payload · satellite · launchpad · space exploration · avionics · liquid fuel · space shuttle · space station · cosmonaut

complexity

difficult

Requiring much effort

sophisticated · technical · demanding · brain surgery · nuclear physics · quantum mechanics · advanced · specialized · daunting · intimidating

Categories
Opposites
intellectual difficulty

rocket sciencechild's play

Something extremely easy

easy as pie · piece of cake · no-brainer · elementary · walk in the park

technical sophistication

rocket sciencebrain surgery

Operating on cranial tissue

manual labor · unskilled work · basket weaving · finger painting · ditch digging

accessibility of knowledge

rocket sciencecommon sense

Native practical judgment

common knowledge · intuitive · self-evident · obvious · folk wisdom

Family

science, rocket, scientist, scientific, rockets, sciences, aerospace, scientifically, rocketry

Familiarity
Top 50,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G