put one's head in the sand
Ignore obvious danger
To put one's head in the sand is to deliberately ignore obvious problems or refuse to acknowledge unpleasant realities, like an ostrich supposedly burying its head to avoid danger.
The phrase implies willful self-deception: The company put its head in the sand about declining sales.
Often appears as bury one's head in the sand.
- ostrichLargest living bird
- head in sandDeliberate obliviousness to reality
- procrastinationHabitual task avoidance
- denialRefusal to accept reality
- look the other wayWillfully ignore misconduct
ignorance · evasion · repression · escapism · abdication · vulnerability · neglect · wishful thinking · blissful ignorance · la la la · burying · unintended consequences · blindness · selective attention · compartmentalization · shirking · not my problem · dodging
put one's head in the sandface facts
Accept uncomfortable truths
face the music · face the facts · wake up and smell the coffee · come to terms with · face up to
put one's head in the sandface up to
Accept and address directly
grasp the nettle · take the bull by the horns · bite the bullet · stand one's ground · step up to the plate