Meaning: This idiom means to create unrealistic or impractical plans, dreams, or hopes that are unlikely to be realized. It implies engaging in fanciful or wishful thinking without a solid foundation or realistic prospects.
Usage in Example Sentences:
- “Talking about buying a mansion without any savings is just building castles in the air.”
- “He spends so much time dreaming about his perfect future instead of taking practical steps to achieve it; he’s just building castles in the air.”
- “Before we get carried away with our plans, let’s make sure we have the resources to back them up and not just build castles in the air.”
Origin: The origin of the idiom “building castles in the air” dates back to the 16th century. It is derived from the French phrase “bâtir des châteaux en Espagne” (to build castles in Spain), which referred to the notion of building something impossible, as Spain was often used as a distant, almost mythical place in European imagination. The English version of the phrase maintains the metaphor of constructing grand, elaborate structures that float in the sky, representing dreams or plans that are not grounded in reality. The idiom has been used to caution against impractical or overly optimistic thinking.
