phrases, sayings, idioms and expressions at

Head in the clouds

Posted by Victoria S Dennis on November 26, 2007

In Reply to: Head in the clouds posted by ESC on November 26, 2007

: : A November 24, 2007 Wall Street Journal book review The Death of Socrates by Emily Wilson reported that Aristophanes' play "The Clouds" was meant to satirize Socrates tinkering about in his "thinkery". I wonder if the expression "head in the clouds" stemmed from this play. Any thoughts?

: The earliest reference I've found is early 1900s. www.phrases.org.uk bulletin_board 32 messages 1023.html

I think fromin Heinrich Hoffnamn's picture-book Struwwelpeter (published in 1844), Die Geschichte von Hans Guck-in-die-Luft, translated into English in 1848 as The Story of Johnny Head-in-Air:
www.fln.vcu.edu/ struwwel/guck_dual.html
(VSD)

© 1997 – 2024 Phrases.org.uk. All rights reserved.