buried one's head in the sand
Avoided uncomfortable reality
To bury one's head in the sand is to ignore obvious problems or dangers, refusing to acknowledge unpleasant realities.
The image comes from the mistaken belief that ostriches hide from threats by burying their heads.
She buried her head in the sand about her mounting credit card debt.
The phrase implies willful avoidance rather than mere ignorance.
- head in the sandDeliberate avoidance of reality
- escapismHabitual mental retreat
- motivated reasoningBiased cognition favoring preferences
- confirmation biasPreferring belief-supporting information
- procrastinationHabitual task avoidance
blissful ignorance · denialism · evasion · accountability · suppression · rationalization · ignorance · wishful thinking · don't want to know · self-serving bias · neglect · cognitive dissonance · distraction · deflection · elephant in the room · selective attention · la la la · avoidance behavior
buried one's head in the sandfaced the facts
Acknowledged unpleasant truth
faced the music · came to terms with · reckoned with · stared down · snapped out of it
buried one's head in the sandtook the bull by the horns
Confronted difficulty directly
grasped the nettle · bit the bullet · rolled up one's sleeves · stepped up to the plate · took action
buried, buries, burying, burial, burials, headed, heading, header, headless