in a fog

in a fog
also, in a haze

Meaning | Synonyms

• in a great confusion
• not giving attention to something
• being in a state of perplexity or confusion
• unable to think or understand clearly about what is happening around you
• not alert

Example Sentences

1. Jane always seems to be in a fog.
2. I always feel like I'm in a fog when I take that medication. It's like it's hard for me to think.
3. After the accident, he went about in a fog, even though he had not been injured.
4. History is a subject which I hate to study. So whenever I sit in history class, I am in a fog.
5. I didn't vote for Alice because she always seems to be in a fog.
6. I was so upset for two days that I went around in a haze, not even answering when people spoke to me. (Here in this example, “haze” is used instead of “fog” which explicitly means to be in a confused state).
7. Millie always seems to be in a haze; she never knows what's going on.

Origin

Although the origin of this idiom is not available. Contextually, in a fog is used in situations where we are not attentive of what is happening and seem to be like in the actual fog whose literal meaning is smoky like surroundings. Although these expressions “in a fog” and “in a haze” allude to obscuring one's view. The term ‘fog' usage dates from about 1600s, ‘haze' from mid-1800s.