'Castle in the air' definitions:
Definition of 'castle in the air'
From: WordNet
noun
Absentminded dreaming while awake [syn: reverie, revery, daydream, daydreaming, oneirism, air castle, castle in the air, castle in Spain]
Definition of 'Castle in the air'
From: GCIDE
- Castle \Cas"tle\, n. [AS. castel, fr. L. castellum, dim. of castrum a fortified place, castle.]
- 1. A fortified residence, especially that of a prince or nobleman; a fortress. [1913 Webster]
- The house of every one is to him castle and fortress, as well for his defense againts injury and violence, as for his repose. --Coke. [1913 Webster]
- Our castle's strength Will laugh a siege to scorn. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- Note: Originally the medi[ae]val castle was a single strong tower or keep, with a palisaded inclosure around it and inferior buidings, such as stables and the like, and surrounded by a moat; then such a keep or donjon, with courtyards or baileys and accessory buildings of greater elaboration a great hall and a chapel, all surrounded by defensive walls and a moat, with a drawbridge, etc. Afterwards the name was retained by large dwellings that had formerly been fortresses, or by those which replaced ancient fortresses. A Donjon or Keep, an irregular building containing the dwelling of the lord and his family; B C Large round towers ferming part of the donjon and of the exterior; D Square tower, separating the two inner courts and forming part of the donjon; E Chapel, whose apse forms a half-round tower, F, on the exterior walls; G H Round towers on the exterior walls; K Postern gate, reached from outside by a removable fight of steps or inclined plane for hoisting in stores, and leading to a court, L (see small digagram) whose pavement is on a level with the sill of the postern, but below the level of the larger court, with which it communicates by a separately fortified gateway; M Turret, containing spiral stairway to all the stories of the great tower, B, and serving also as a station for signal fire, banner, etc.; N Turret with stairway for tower, C; O Echauguettes; P P P Battlemants consisting of merlons and crenels alternately, the merlons being pierced by loopholes; Q Q Machicolations (those at Q defend the postern K); R Outwork defending the approach, which is a road ascending the hill and passing under all four faces of the castle; S S Wall of the outer bailey. The road of approach enters the bailey at T and passes thence into the castle by the main entrance gateway (which is in the wall between, and defended by the towers, C H) and over two drawbridges and through fortified passages to the inner court. [1913 Webster]
- 2. Any strong, imposing, and stately mansion. [1913 Webster]
- 3. A small tower, as on a ship, or an elephant's back. [1913 Webster]
- 4. A piece, made to represent a castle, used in the game of chess; a rook. [1913 Webster]
- Castle in the air, a visionary project; a baseless scheme; an air castle; -- sometimes called a castle in Spain (F. Ch[^a]teau en Espagne).
- Syn: Fortress; fortification; citadel; stronghold. See Fortress. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'castle in the air'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- airy nothing,
- autism,
- bubble,
- castle in Spain,
- chimera,
- daydream,
- deception,
- deluded belief,
- delusion,
- dereism,
- dream,
- dream vision,
- dreamland,
- dreamworld,
- false belief,
- ignis fatuus,
- illusion,
- misbelief,
- misconception,
- pipe dream,
- self-deceit,
- self-deception,
- self-delusion,
- trick,
- trip,
- vapor,
- wrong impression,
- Xanadu