cloud nine
on cloud nine
also, on cloud seven
Meaning | Synonyms
- very happy
- extremely cheerful
- over the moon
- thrilled
- delighted
- very excited
Example Sentences
- She's been on cloud nine since she heard the news of her engagement.
- I felt like I was on cloud 9 when she said that she I loves me a lot.
- What a pleasure of winning, it makes feel like floating on cloud seven.
- The grandmother was on cloud nine to see her grandson after a long time.
- Maria was on cloud nine to see her husband back from a long business trip.
- Do something which makes me feel floating on cloud nine.
Origin
There are various conflicting stories regarding the origin of the phrase. One of the origin stories is linked to the ten steps to enlightenment in the Buddhist faith. However, there is little evidence to support this.
In the 1896 edition of the International Cloud Atlas, clouds were assigned numerical orders. The cumulonimbus cloud was assigned the number 9. It is the highest reaching cloud and rises up to 10km into the sky. Thus, being on top of it would mean that you are in a sense “on top of the world.”
The origin might not be known but the phrase has been used since the 1950s. The most plausible origin of the phrase would be the actual relation to the cumulonimbus cloud.
One of the first examples that can be found is from the Denton Record Chronicle, May 1949, when Betty Hutton – a woman who was happy to have been selected a film role.
“Let's look in on Betty Hutton, who says she is hovering ‘on Cloud No Nine‘ these days.”
Subsequent to this, there are quite a few examples that can be found. It seems as if the phrase gained popularity during this time. There was even a yacht that took part in a race around Catalina Island in June 1947 was called Cloud Nine.