castles in the air

castles in the air
or, castles in Spain
also, castles in the sky

Meaning | Synonyms

• thinking of some impossible task
• make plans or hopes that have very little chance of happening
• imaginary unachievable plots
• pie in the sky
• daydreams
• miles away

Example Sentences

1. She keeps talking about her big-time ambitions, but it's all castles in the air.
2. Don't build castles in the air, just and find some work to earn money.
3. In order to make this business work you need to stop building castles in Spain and get to work.
4. My brother just make the castles in the air – he does nothing.
5. Few people want to establish a human habitation on the mars, but this is more like building castles in the sky.
6. Daydreaming and building the castles in the sky – sometimes it can also be inspiring.
7. You just keep making castles in the air all day long, show me some results too.

Origin

The idiom was first used in the 1500s. The idiom seems to have evolved from the original “To build castles in Spain.” Much of Spain was under Moorish control, so the idea that a castle could be built there was an unattainable dream.

The original phrase was first used in Le Roman de la Rosein the 13^th century. It was translated from the original French into English in 1365.

Thou shalt make castles than in Spaine,
And dreame of joy, all but in vaine …

As time moved on the cultural reference did not make sense anymore. Thus, it was changed to “castles in the sky.” The first known use of it was by writer and translator William Painter (1540 – 1594)

Which was a building of Castels in the ayre, fantasying a thousand deuises in his minde.

The original phrase is still used in French as this is where it originated. It has also been changed to “Castles in the sky” by some users. It has the same meaning and origin.