English idiom

bury one's head in the sand

Register · Neutral CEFR B1

Post

Figurative meaning

to ignore an unpleasant reality hoping it will go away

Why this phrase?

Ostriches were wrongly believed to hide by burying their heads in the sand, pretending danger is invisible because they don't look at it.

Example

“We can't bury our heads in the sand about the budget deficit.”

Dictionary details

Component words

head

Tags

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

bite someone's head off

to answer someone with sudden and often unjustified anger

head for the hills

to flee quickly from a threatening or difficult situation

do someone's head in

to cause intense mental strain, frustration, or irritation

on thin ice

in a risky position where one mistake could cause trouble

out of the woods

past the worst of a danger or difficulty

touch and go

very uncertain, with a chance of failure at any moment

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

External links

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