pipe dream

English

Etymology

From the fantasies experienced when smoking an opium pipe.

Noun

pipe dream (plural pipe dreams)

1. (idiomatic) A plan, desire, or idea that will not likely work; a near impossibility.

   I think his plan to become a professional athlete is a pipe dream and he should stay in school.

Translations

near impossibility

Chinese: Mandarin: 妄想 (zh) (wàngxiǎng) Czech: vzdušné zámky (cs) m. pl. (air castles) Danish: ønskedrøm (da) c. Dutch: luchtkasteel (nl) n. (air castle) Finnish: pilvilinna (fi) French: rêve chimérique (fr) m., chimère (fr) f. German: Luftschloss (de) n. (air castle) Greek: ὀνειροπόληση (el) (oneiropólisi) f.

Hebrew: (formally) חלומות באספמיה (he) (ḥalomót be aspámya) m. pl., (formally) מגדלים פורחים באוויר (he) (migdalím porḥím ba avír) m. pl. Japanese: 夢物語 (ja) (ゆめものがたり, yumemonogatari) Norwegian: luftslott (no), ønskedrøm (no) m. Polish: mrzonka (pl) f. Russian: несбыточная мечта (ru) (nesbýtočnaja mečtá) f. (unrealizable dream), воздушные замки (ru) (vozdúšnyje zámki) m. pl. (air castles) Spanish: sueño guajiro (es) Swedish: luftslott (sv) n.