chase a rainbow

Meaning: To pursue something that is impossible or unrealistic to attain.

Example: “He keeps quitting stable jobs to chase a rainbow in the music business.”

Origin: The image of chasing a rainbow, which recedes as you approach it and can never be caught or reached.

More English idioms

rock the boat To disrupt the status quo or challenge established conventions and rules.
body English Subtle body movements a person makes to coax a moving object toward a desired direction,…
above the salt Of high social rank, importance, or honor.
break the bank To win or spend so much money that a casino or financial institution loses its entire ava…
break the mold To abandon convention and do something radically new or different.
hoist by one's own petard To be harmed or destroyed by one's own trap or scheme meant to injure someone else.

Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.

As the fool thinks, so the bell chinks. A fool's actions produce predictable, hollow results—noise without substance or deeper me…
Fools set stools for wise folk to stumble at. Foolish people create obstacles that even intelligent ones may trip over through careless…
A fool's bolt is soon shot. Reckless people exhaust their resources or arguments hastily, leaving themselves defensel…

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