out of one's league
Meaning: Too good, attractive or expensive for someone to have a chance with.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “He thought she was out of his league, but she said yes.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: From sports leagues, where teams play others of similar level. The figurative use is American, common from the mid-20th century.
Other ways to say this
- Japanese: 高嶺の花 (Takane no hana) — literally: A flower on a high peak
- Korean: 그림의 떡 (Geurimui tteok) — literally: A rice cake in a painting
- English: pie in the sky
More idioms — Daily Life
- a stroke of luck — A sudden, unexpected piece of good fortune.
- if at first you don't succeed, try, try again — Keep trying after failure.
- look before you leap — Think carefully before acting.
- love is blind — People in love do not see the faults of the one they love.
- word gets around — News and rumors spread quickly from person to person.
- Rome wasn't built in a day — Important things take time.
More English idioms
- no room to swing a cat — A very small or cramped space.
- a snake in the grass — A treacherous person who pretends to be a friend.
- give one's eyeteeth for something — To want something very badly.
- like chalk and cheese — Completely different, though perhaps similar at first glance.
- blush to the roots of one's hair — To go very red with embarrassment.
- not see beyond the end of one's nose — To have a narrow outlook and ignore anything beyond one's immediate concerns.