promise the moon
Meaning: To promise something impossible to deliver.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “Every candidate promises the moon, and then the potholes stay.”
Category: Nature
Origin: The moon as the symbol of the unreachable; "to cry for the moon," wanting the impossible, is older. The form with "promise" is common from the 20th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- French: Décrocher la lune — literally: To unhook the moon
- French: Promettre monts et merveilles — literally: To promise mountains and marvels
More idioms — Nature
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More English idioms
- thick and fast — Rapidly and in large numbers.
- an old hand — Someone with long experience at something.
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- sweet-talk — To persuade someone with flattery.
From our proverbs
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- He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. — Inheriting wealth from birth grants unearned advantages that others must struggle to achi…
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