gone with the wind
Meaning: Gone forever, vanished without a trace.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “All his savings? Gone with the wind.”
Category: Nature
Origin: From Ernest Dowson's 1896 poem "Cynara" ("I have forgot much, Cynara! gone with the wind"), then the title of Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel and its 1939 film.
Equivalents in other languages
- French: Autant en emporte le vent — literally: The wind carries it all away
More idioms — Nature
- 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.
- grow like wildfire — To spread very fast.
- blow me down — An exclamation of complete surprise.
More English idioms
- without fanfare — Quietly, without any publicity.
- a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush — It is better to keep what you have than risk it for something more uncertain.
- a Herculean task — An extremely difficult job requiring huge effort.
- on the sidelines — Not taking an active part; left out.
- a stab in the back — A betrayal by someone one trusted.
- at full tilt — At full speed or with full force.
From our proverbs
- Who has not a good tongue, ought to have good hands. — Lacking eloquence in speech, one must compensate through skilled physical labor or useful…
- Better three hours too soon than a minute too late. — Arriving early prevents missing opportunities, while lateness—no matter how brief—causes…
- What is a workman without his tools? — A skilled person stripped of necessary resources cannot apply their expertise effectively.