chase rainbows
Seek unattainable goals
To chase rainbows is to pursue goals that are unrealistic or impossible to achieve, like literally trying to catch a rainbow that recedes as you approach it.
The phrase often carries a gentle criticism of impractical dreamers or idealists who waste effort on fantasies rather than attainable objectives.
Stop chasing rainbows and get a real job.
Someone described as a rainbow chaser is seen as naively optimistic or out of touch with reality.
- pipe dreamUnrealistic aspiration
- reach for the starsPursue ambitious goals
- flight of fancyUnrealistic imaginative indulgence
- delusionStubbornly held false belief
- castle in the airUnrealistic scheme or fantasy
build castles in the air · unrealistic · airy fairy · pot of gold · tilting at windmills · fantasy · mirage · fool's errand · wishful thinking · false hope · empty promise · ephemeral beauty · lost cause · quixotic · pie in the sky · idealism · optimism · naivety
chase rainbowsdown-to-earth
Practical and without pretension
grounded · level-headed · sensible · hardheaded · no-nonsense
chase rainbowsget down to brass tacks
Begin addressing essential details
roll up one's sleeves · knuckle down · take care of business · buckle down
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