I seem to have my head in the clouds.
You might say a giraffe has its head in the clouds, but it just happens to have a very long neck. Photo by Juhasz Imre from Pexels.
This should be a quick one.
A few weeks ago, I looked at the idiom “down to earth,” which described a type of person who was grounded in reality. This week, I will look at just one antonymous phrase. And as it turns out, the phrase kind of describes me.
When Did This Phrase Originate?When I visited numerous websites, including Dictionary.com and that of Oxford Royale Academy, there was a general agreement about the time placement: The phrase “head in the clouds” was first recorded in the mid-17th century, but its origin is unclear.
What Does It Mean When Someone Has Their ‘Head in the Clouds’?To be honest, I’ve always had a general understanding of how the phrase was being used whenever I heard it, but I never really thought about the meaning. So, it didn’t hurt to look it up.
According to Woodward English, there are two types of situations where the phrase could be used:
- The first use of the phrase refers to a person who has an unrealistic perception of things. That person is not grounded in reality (e.g., they have unrealistic expectations) or they might be a daydreamer.
- The second use of the phrase refers to a momentary lapse of awareness. The person who has their “head in the clouds” is not paying attention.
Sometimes, I’m guilty on both counts.
I’ve always been somewhat of a daydreamer, especially when I was in elementary school. I got easily bored (with the schoolwork, with lectures, even when we had to read parts of textbooks out aloud), that sometimes, my mind would wander. Now that I think about it, I wish I had paid more attention in class — or used my daydreams to tell more stories.
This was in part cured by being challenged in courses and having teachers I liked and who I knew appreciated my work. When I was engaged, I was taking better notes and excited to go to certain classes.
Other times, my mind will wander if I’m bored by a speech, or someone is talking to me, but for 10 minutes straight. In that case, conversations should be a two-way street.
Works Cited“20 English Idioms with their Meanings and Origins.”Oxford Royale Academy. Oxford Programs Limited, UK; 23 Jan 2014. Web. Retrieved 1 Dec 2017. <https://www.oxford-royale.co.uk/articles/bizarre-english-idioms-meaning-origins.html>.
“head in the clouds, have one’s.” The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Houghton Mifflin Company. 2 Dec. 2017. <Dictionary.com http://www.dictionary.com/browse/head-in-the-clouds–have-one-s>.
Woodward. “Have your head in the clouds – Idiom Meaning.” Woodward English. 24 Oct 2013. Web. <https://www.woodwardenglish.com/have-your-head-in-the-clouds-idiom-meaning/>.
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