flight of fancy

Idioms  

1. An unrealistic idea or fantastic notion, a pipe dream. For example, She engaged in flights of fancy, such as owning a million-dollar house. This idiom uses flight in the sense of “a soaring of the imagination,” a usage dating from the mid-1600s.

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Example Sentences

After reaching for the stars in his first show for Chanel, new chief designer Matthieu Blazy took a feathery flight of fancy for his debut Haute Couture collection inspired by birds and nature on Tuesday.

From Barron's • Jan. 27, 2026

And if you really want a flight of fancy, you can envision Clark wearing the colors of the team that calls this arena home, the Seattle Storm.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 24, 2023

Peter Sellers couldn’t have concocted a more deranged flight of fancy.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2022

The most prominent flight of fancy is an extended scene in which Aline walks the streets of Las Vegas, alone and forlorn.

From New York Times • Mar. 31, 2022

Wasn’t writing a kind of soaring, an achievable form of flight, of fancy, of the imagination?

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan