IdiomBody & Senses
English
Englishhave one's head in the clouds
Meaning: To be impractical or absent-minded; to be unaware of what is going on around one.
Example: “He forgot his keys again; he always has his head in the clouds.”
Equivalents in other languages
French: Avoir la tête dans les nuages Literally: To have one's head in the clouds
Spanish: estar en la luna de Valencia Literally: To be in the moon of Valencia
Serbian: Пасти с Марса (Pasti s Marsa) Literally: To fall from Mars
Galician: Estar nas verzas Literally: To be in the cabbages
Origin: Clouds sit far above the ground, so a head among them is far from everyday reality. Similar images go back to antiquity, when Aristophanes mocked Socrates in his comedy The Clouds as a dreamer in the sky; the English phrase is common from the 19th century.
More English idioms
- in over one's head Involved in something beyond one's ability to handle.
- it's no skin off someone's nose It has no effect on someone or it is of no concern to someone.
- keep one's head above water To just barely manage, especially financially or with one's workload.
- keep one's nose to the grindstone To work hard without rest.
- knee-high to a grasshopper Very young.
- laugh all the way to the bank To be proved right or successful in the face of scorn, particularly as regards money.
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- Tienes menos luces que un barco pirata You're really not the brightest.
- Eres más lento que el caballo del malo You're painfully slow — the villain's horse never catches the hero.
- Testa di rapa A blockhead who isn't thinking.
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