I need an idiom about daydreaming

Status
Not open for further replies.

Tinkerbell

Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2009
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Turkish
Home Country
Turkey
Current Location
Turkey
When someone was dayreaming or lost in thought, if another person came near her, what do she tell her? We say "Whereabouts you dive into again" in Turkish. What about in English?
 

charliedeut

VIP Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
Spanish
Home Country
Spain
Current Location
Spain
Hi Tinkerbell,

In Spanish we use the expression "you are on the moon." So I looked for translations of it (since I didn't know the English idiom and this is what I found: live in a dream world, live in cloud cuckoo land, be in cloud cuckoo land. I hope native English speakers may confirm if this is correct, and maybe add some more.

Greetings,

charliedeut
 

Tinkerbell

Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2009
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Turkish
Home Country
Turkey
Current Location
Turkey
Thank you very much, Charlie :)
 

Tinkerbell

Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2009
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Turkish
Home Country
Turkey
Current Location
Turkey
Please, I need help. I'm posting the context.


After waiter received the orders and went, Ella put her hands on her lap and started to daydream again with the company of musician’s slow melody coming from the mezzanine across the dining hall.

If I can marry with him, I wonder what a life I had? thought to herself. To marry an Englishman and to live in England, who knows what a wonderful thing. But, let me see… he said that he is Irish I think. Never mind, we would live in Dublin then. Probably it’s better than that Java Hell.

“Ella, would you like to wine?”

“Hmm?”

When Ella turned to real world, saw that reappearing waiter was pouring wine to her sister’s and brother-in-law’s glasses.

“Where have you been lost again, honey?”
Something like this one.
 

Rover_KE

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
Sorry – I've not really been taking this thread in; I was miles away.

Rover
 

BobK

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 29, 2006
Location
Spencers Wood, near Reading, UK
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
Have your head in the clouds. (We have a moon-related idiom in English too, but it doesn't mean you're day-dreaming. If you're 'over the moon' you're just pleased about something.)

b
 

5jj

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 14, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
Czech Republic
Current Location
Czech Republic
After the waiter received the orders and went, Ella put her hands on her lap and started to daydream again [STRIKE] to [/STRIKE] the [STRIKE]company[/STRIKE] accompaniment of a musician’s slow melody coming from the mezzanine across the dining hall.

"If I [STRIKE]can[/STRIKE] could marry [STRIKE]with[/STRIKE] him, I wonder what sort of (a) life I [STRIKE]had[/STRIKE] would have[STRIKE]? [/STRIKE]," she thought to herself. "To marry an Englishman and to live in England, who knows what a wonderful thing that could be.? But, let me see… he said that he is Irish, I think. Never mind, we would live in Dublin then. Probably it’s better than that Java Hell".

“Ella, would you like [STRIKE]to[/STRIKE] some wine?”

“Hmm?”

When Ella returned to the real world, saw that [STRIKE]reappearing[/STRIKE] the waiter had reappeared and was pouring wine into her sister’s and brother-in-law’s glasses.

“Where have you been [STRIKE]lost again[/STRIKE], honey?”
"Where have you been?" conveys the message.
 

Tdol

No Longer With Us (RIP)
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
When someone was dayreaming or lost in thought, if another person came near her, what do she tell her? We say "Whereabouts you dive into again" in Turkish. What about in English?

I'm not sure who's asking, but if it is the person not daydreaming, how about A penny for your thoughts?
 

BobK

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 29, 2006
Location
Spencers Wood, near Reading, UK
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
:up: In fact the idiom is so well known that it's often abbreviated: 'Penny for them'. (Primary stress is on 'Penny' with secondary stress on 'for' - unlike in the full version given above - and the vowel in 'them' is a schwa.)

b
 

willheee

New member
Joined
Jun 25, 2012
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Spain
Have your head in the clouds. (We have a moon-related idiom in English too, but it doesn't mean you're day-dreaming. If you're 'over the moon' you're just pleased about something.)

b

You took the words right out of my mouth..

"To have one's head in the clouds"
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top