sticking one's head in the sand
Avoiding unpleasant truths
Sticking one's head in the sand means refusing to acknowledge an obvious problem or unpleasant reality.
The image comes from the folk belief that ostriches bury their heads when threatened, as if not seeing danger makes it disappear: The company kept sticking its head in the sand while competitors took over the market.
The phrase implies willful ignorance rather than mere unawareness.
- turning a blind eyeIntentionally disregarding something obvious
- looking the other wayDeliberately ignoring wrongdoing
- escapismHabitual mental retreat
- head in the cloudsAbsorbed in fantasy
- la la landState of pleasant oblivion
see no evil · rose-colored glasses · repression · elephant in the room · confirmation bias · compartmentalization · rationalization · self-deception · playing dumb · procrastination · deflection · fearfulness · wishful thinking · blissful ignorance · selective attention · cognitive dissonance · distraction · groupthink
sticking one's head in the sandfacing the music
Accepting responsibility for actions
taking the bull by the horns · grasping the nettle · biting the bullet · stepping up to the plate · rolling up one's sleeves
sticking one's head in the sandfacing facts
Acknowledging uncomfortable truths
keeping one's eyes open · staying informed · waking up and smelling the coffee · seeing the light · staying alert
sticking one's head in the sandstanding one's ground
Refusing to yield position
moral courage · taking responsibility · intestinal fortitude · accountability · staring down
sticking, sticks, sticky, stickiness, headed, heading, headless, header