cloud-cuckoo-land

[ kloud-koo-koo-land, -kook-oo- ]

/ ˈklaʊdˌku kuˌlænd, -ˌkʊk u- /

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noun

an idealized, illusory domain of imagination; cloudland: the cloud-cuckoo-land of technicolor cartoon whimsy.

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Origin of cloud-cuckoo-land

First recorded in 1815–25; translation of Greek Nephelokokkȳgía, the realm which separates the gods from mortals in Aristophanes' The Birds

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cloud-cuckoo-land in a sentence

For every nanosecond that I miraculously lift off the ground, I land with an inordinately loud thud.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It was supposed to land in Singapore at 8:57 a.m. local time.
The Presumed Crash of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Is Nothing Like MH370|Lennox Samuels|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Federal Duck Stamp Act raised the fee on stamps needed to hunt waterfowl on federal land from $15 to $25.
Nazis, Sunscreen, and Sea Gull Eggs: Congress in 2014 Was Hella Productive|Ben Jacobs|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In this American dream, we are emotionally tied to the people and land of our communities.
Will Texas Stay Texan?|David Fontana|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Chickens require significantly less land, water, and energy than all other meat options except farmed salmon.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For several months he remained under a political cloud, charged with incompetency to quell the Philippine Rebellion.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
Bacteria, when present in great numbers, give a uniform cloud which cannot be removed by ordinary filtration.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Then with your victorious legions you can march south and help drive the Yankee invaders from the land.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
It is a lofty and richly-decorated pile of the fourteenth century; and tells of the labours and the wealth of a foreign land.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
Worst danger zone, the open sea, now traversed, but on land not yet out of the wood.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton

British Dictionary definitions for cloud-cuckoo-land

cloud-cuckoo-land

cloudland

/ (ˈklaʊdˌlænd) /

noun

a realm of fantasy, dreams, or impractical notions

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with cloud-cuckoo-land

cloud-cuckoo land

An idealized mythical domain, as in That idea about flying cars is straight out of cloud-cuckoo land. This expression originated as a translation from the Greek of Aristophanes' play The Birds, where it signifies the realm built by the birds to separate the gods from humankind. It came into use in the 1820s. During the 19th century it began to be used for a place of wildly fanciful dreams, unrealistic expectations, or the like, and it also acquired the connotation of “crazy” (from cuckoo, slang for “crazy” since about 1900). Also see la-la land; never-never land.

cloud-cuckoo-land

Origin of cloud-cuckoo-land

Words related to cloud-cuckoo-land

How to use cloud-cuckoo-land in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cloud-cuckoo-land

cloudland

Other Idioms and Phrases with cloud-cuckoo-land