Englishin seventh heaven
Meaning: Blissfully happy.
Example: “With a new puppy in the house, the kids are in seventh heaven.”
Equivalents in other languages
French: Être au septième ciel Literally: To be in the seventh heaven
Origin: Draws on a shared idea found in both Islamic and Jewish mystical tradition, describing the heavens as seven concentric, ascending spheres surrounding the earth, with the seventh and outermost sphere reserved as the very highest, most exalted level — in Islamic tradition specifically, the dwelling place of God. Similar layered-heaven cosmologies also appear in various Gnostic sects during the Roman era and had some circulation in early Christianity as well, suggesting the image spread and was reinforced across several related religious traditions rather than originating in just one. The English idiom is first recorded in 1786, and by the early 1800s had settled into its now-secular figurative sense: a state of pure, complete happiness, borrowing the very highest, most desirable tier of an elaborate religious cosmology to describe an entirely ordinary, earthly joy.
More English idioms
- shot in the dark A guess, often wild or based on little information.
- sleep like a log To sleep so soundly that noise doesn't wake the person.
- snowball's chance in hell No chance at all.
- sour grapes A situation where a person criticizes something or someone out of jealousy.
- sow one's wild oats To do foolish or wild things, usually as a youth.
- speak of the devil An expression used when someone who is being talked about has just appeared.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- Dost kara günde belli olur True friends show themselves when times are hard.
- Acele işe şeytan karışır Doing things in a hurry invites mistakes.
- Haydan gelen huya gider Money that comes easily goes just as easily.
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