buries one's head in the sand
Ignores obvious problems
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 false belief that ostriches hide their heads underground when threatened.
She buried her head in the sand about her mounting credit card debt.
The phrase implies willful avoidance rather than simple ignorance.
- ignoringDeliberately not noticing
- looking the other wayDeliberately ignoring wrongdoing
- evadingSkillfully keeping away from
- denialRefusal to accept reality
- blindnessAbsence of vision
withdrawing · repression · stonewalling · escapism · head in the clouds · willful ignorance · blissful ignorance · wishful thinking · deflecting · playing dumb · rationalization · compartmentalization · hiding · ostrich · cognitive dissonance · procrastination · sidestepping · shirking
buries one's head in the sandfaces the music
Accepts deserved consequences
faces facts · grasps the nettle · takes the bull by the horns · bites the bullet · faces up to
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