castles in the air
Hopes without foundation
Castles in the air are fanciful plans or dreams that have no realistic foundation—elaborate visions built on nothing solid.
The phrase emphasizes impracticality: She had grand ambitions but they were just castles in the air.
Someone who builds castles in the air is a daydreamer detached from practical concerns.
Also *castles in Spain*, from the French.
- pie in the skyUnrealistic hope or plan
- pipe dreamsFanciful, unattainable notions
- fantasiesImagined scenarios, often pleasurable
- illusionsDeceptive sensory experiences
- hopesPositive expectations held
imaginings · fool's paradise · ideal · aspirations · rose-colored glasses · mirages · visions · impracticality · delusions of grandeur · empty promises · wild goose chase · wishful thinking · daydreams · cloud nine · flights of fancy · figments · reveries · dreamscapes
- creativityimagination, creativity, brainstorming, unique voice, inspiration
- daydreamsdaydream, fantasy, reverie, dreaming, imagining
- dream phrasessweet dreams, dream come true, pipe dream, daydream, nightmare
- imaginary worldsdreamland, fairyland, wonderland, fantasy realm, dream world
- Paradisesparadise, Eden, Garden of Eden, utopia, Shangri-La
- thoughtsthought, idea, thoughts, ideas, thinking
castles in the airhard facts
Verified, objective information
firm ground · nuts and bolts · brass tacks · realpolitik · bottom line
castles in the airbrick and mortar
Business with premises
cold hard cash · tangible assets · solid ground · terra firma · flesh and blood
castles in the airpragmatism
Practical problem-solving philosophy
hard facts · brass tacks · feet on the ground · nitty-gritty · realism