Spain
build castles in Spain
To create dreams, hopes, or plans that are impossible, unrealistic, or have very little chance of succeeding. You need sound financial advice and a strong plan if you're going to start your own business—don't just build castles in Spain.
See also: build, castle, Spain
build castles in the air
To create dreams, hopes, or plans that are impossible, unrealistic, or have very little chance of succeeding. You need sound financial advice and a strong plan if you're going to start your own business—don't just build castles in the air.
See also: air, build, castle
castles in Spain
Dreams, hopes, or plans that are impossible, unrealistic, or have very little chance of succeeding. He keeps talking about how he'll move to Los Angeles to be a famous actor, but it's just castles in Spain if you ask me. You need sound financial advice and a strong plan if you're going to start your own business—it can't be all castles in Spain.
See also: castle, Spain
castles in the air
Dreams, hopes, or plans that are impossible, unrealistic, or have very little chance of succeeding. You need sound financial advice and a strong plan if you're going to start your own business—don't just build castles in the air. He keeps talking about how he'll move to Los Angeles to be a famous actor, but it's just castles in the air if you ask me.
See also: air, castle
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
build castles in the air
and build castles in SpainFig. to daydream; to make plans that can never come true. Ann spends most of her time building castles in Spain. I really like to sit on the porch in the evening, just building castles in the air.
See also: air, build, castle
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
castles in the air
Also, castles in Spain. Dreams about future success, as in Musing about the bestseller list, she was apt to build castles in the air. The first term dates from the late 1500s. The variant, castles in Spain (or chateaux en Espagne), was recorded in the Roman de la Rose in the 13th century and translated into English about 1365.
See also: air, castle
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
castles in the air
If you describe someone's plans as castles in the air, you mean that they are not realistic and have no chance of succeeding. `Along the way, I intend to become very rich.' He shook his head in wonder at her. `You're building castles in the air, Anne.' This could be seen as an admission that Carter's election promises were just castles in the air.
See also: air, castle
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
build castles in the air (or in Spain)
have a visionary and unattainable scheme; daydream.The concept was known to St Augustine ( 354–430 ), who uses the phrase subtracto fundamento in aere aedificare meaning ‘build on air without foundation’. Castles in the air has been the version predominant in English since the late 16th century, but castles in Spain , from Old French châteaux en Espagne , was used in the late medieval period and occasionally in more recent times. The form of the saying in Old French, known from the 13th century, may refer to the fact that much of Spain in the Middle Ages was under Moorish control, so any scheme to build castles there was clearly unlikely to succeed.
See also: air, build, castle
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
(build) ˌcastles in the ˈair
(have) plans, hopes, etc. which are unlikely to become reality: They talked about moving to Australia, but they knew they were really only building castles in the air.See also: air, castle
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
- build castles in Spain
- build castles in the air
- build castles in the sky
- castles in the air
- castles in the sky
- castles in Spain
- be in a dream world
- a lost cause
- lost cause
- lost cause, a