chase rainbows
Meaning: To pursue something unrealistic.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “He left a good job to chase rainbows in Hollywood.”
Category: Nature
Origin: A rainbow can never be reached, however far one walks, and the pot of gold at its end is a folk tale. The phrase is common from the early 20th century; the 1918 song "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" helped popularize it.
Equivalents in other languages
- French: Lâcher la proie pour l'ombre — literally: To drop the prey for the shadow
More idioms — Nature
- left high and dry — Stranded or abandoned without help.
- gone with the wind — Gone forever, vanished without a trace.
- the light at the end of the tunnel — A sign that a long, difficult period is ending.
- be in clover — To live in comfort and luxury.
- go downhill — To get steadily worse.
- clear as day — Completely obvious.
More English idioms
- a Pyrrhic victory — A win that costs so much it is almost a defeat.
- go to rack and ruin — To fall into a state of decay through neglect.
- on one's toes — Alert and ready to react.
- an old wives' tale — A traditional belief, especially about health, that is not true.
- a pen-pusher — A clerk or bureaucrat doing dull paperwork.
- a word to the wise — A hint or warning that a sensible person will heed.