work in an/(one's) ivory tower

work in an/(one's) ivory tower

To reside or exist in a place or among a social circle that is characterized by effete academic intelligence and thus is out of touch with or aloof from the realities of life. I don't put much weight in the advice of a bunch of economists working in their ivory towers—they've never had a real job in their lives. It seemed easy to solve all the world's problems when I was working in an ivory tower. Now that I'm not a professor anymore, I realize things are so much more complex than I'd imagined.
See also: ivory, tower, work
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • be in an/(one's) ivory tower
  • dwell in an/(one's) ivory tower
  • live in an/(one's) ivory tower
  • in an ivory tower
  • in an/(one's) ivory tower
  • ivory
  • ivory tower
  • tower
  • an ivory tower
  • an/(one's) ivory tower