English

Noun

castle in the air ‎(plural castles in the air)

1. (idiomatic) A visionary project or scheme; a day-dream; an idle fancy; a pipe dream; any plan, desire, or idea that is unlikely to be ever realized; a near impossibility.

Usage notes

• Completing the metaphor, one is said to build a castle in the air.

Synonyms

• castle in the skies
• castle in Spain

Derived terms

• build castles in the air

Translations

References

• J[ohn] A. Simpson and E[dward] S. C. Weiner, editors (1989) The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, ISBN 978-0-19-861186-8.