E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Pikestaff.
Plain as a pikestaff. Quite obvious and unmistakable. The pikestaff was the staff carried by pilgrims, which plainly and somewhat ostentatiously announced their “devotion.” It has been suggested that “pikestaff” is a corruption of “pack-staff,” meaning the staff on which a pedlar carries his pack, but there is no need for the change.
