he is in the clouds

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

In dreamland; enter- taining visionary notions and so having no distinct idea about the matter in question.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “he is in the clouds” mean?

In dreamland; enter- taining visionary notions and so having no distinct idea about the matter in question.

Is “he is in the clouds” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.