Be away with the fairies In english explanation

The meaning, explanation, definition and origin of the idiom/phrase "be away with the fairies", English Idiom Dictionary ( also found in Vietnamese )

author Tommy Tran calendar 2021-02-02 09:02

Meaning of Be away with the fairies

Synonyms:

lost in thought , go out of one's mind

Be away with the fairies British phrase informal

To be deep in thought, distracted, and behave in a strange way

Look at Bruno! He seems to be away with the fairies again.

To me Maria isn't a realistic person. She is always away with the fairies.

Other phrases about:

be in cloud cuckoo land

Said when someone believes in unrealistic or fanciful ideas that is impossible to happen

castles in the sky

Impossible or unrealistic dreams, hopes, or plans

settle down to (something)

To pay your full attention to something you are doing

take (one's) eye off the ball

To not concentrate on what one is doing at the time.
 

daydream about (someone or something)

 To imagine pleasant scenarios.
 

Grammar and Usage of Be away with the fairies

Verb Forms

  • am/is/are away with the fairies
  • was/were away with the fairies

The verb "be" should be conjugated according to its tense.

Origin of Be away with the fairies

Irish fairy. (Image Source: Pinterest)

The phrase originated from the Scottish or Irish myths. It first appeared in a letter by William Drummond, a Scottish bard, in 1636:

“As for the Fairy Queen, of whom you wrote to me, her Apparitions of late have bewitched so many, that I find sundry ready to dance with the fairies.”

The belief in people being taken away or bewitched by the fairies was very well-established by the 20th century. The phrase was mentioned in the New Zealand newspaper The Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, May 1909. It retold an Irish story about Michael Coyne, who was trying to convince everyone that his rival has gone “away with fairies” and not been killed by him.

Since then, the phrase has become popular in writing and has been used in its current figurative sense in the late 20th century.

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