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la-la land

American  
[lah-lah] / ˈlɑˌlɑ /

noun

Slang.
  1. a state of being out of touch with reality.

  2. (usually initial capital letters) Los Angeles.


La-La land British  
/ ˈlɑːˌlɑː /

noun

  1. a nickname for Los Angeles

  2. (not capitals) a place that is remote from reality

"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

la-la land Idioms  
  1. Los Angeles, California (often abbreviated L.A.). This expression pokes fun at the alleged eccentricities of the city's inhabitants. For example, What do you expect? Frederick has lived in la-la land for ten years and it has rubbed off on him . [ Slang ; c. 1980]

  2. A state of being out of touch with reality, as in I don't know what's going on with Amy—she seems to be in la-la land . [ Slang ; c. 1980] Also see cloud-cuckoo land ; never-never land .


Etymology

Origin of la-la land

1980–85; reduplication of L.A., abbreviation of Los Angeles

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells has been accused of living in "la-la land" by a lawyer representing sub-postmasters.

From BBC May 24, 2024

You literally know this guy is in la-la land.

From Washington Post Nov. 8, 2020

“Now that we realize, all of us, that we were living in la-la land, we can’t fix them,” said Fawaz.

From Slate Oct. 29, 2020

Nunes, though, has often veered far afield into the la-la land of conspiracy theory.

From Seattle Times Nov. 21, 2019

Paws twitching, Fig was entering kitty la-la land.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Five years ago, he published Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins, a deliciously irreverent account of his adventures in La-La land, one of the best recent theatrical memoirs.

From The Guardian Nov. 29, 2012

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