cloud-cuckoo-land

See also: cloudcuckooland, cloud cuckoo-land, and cloud cuckoo land

English

Alternative forms

• cloud cuckoo land, cloudcuckooland, cloud cuckoo-land

Etymology

Calque of Ancient Greek Νεφελοκοκκυγία (Nephelokokkugía), from Aristophanes.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /klaʊdˈkʊkuːlænd/

Noun

cloud-cuckoo-land (uncountable)

1. An imaginary place where silly or unrealistic people metaphorically reside.
   • 1916, Aldous Huxley, “The Walk”, in The Burning Wheel:

     That glabrous dome that lifts itself so grand, / There in the marish, is the omphalos, / The navel, umbo, middle, central boss / Of the unique, sole, true Cloud-Cuckoo Land.

Synonyms

• never-never land

Translations

imaginary place with unrealistic or silly people

• Czech: Mrakoptakohrad (cs) m (Aristophanes, transl. Jiří Žáček 1986), Kocourkov (cs) m (common language)
• Finnish: Pilvikukkula (Aristophanes, transl. Kaarlo Hirvonen 1972), Hölmölä (fi) (common language)
• French: Coucouville-les-Nuées
• German: Wolkenkuckucksheim (de) n, Schilda
• Greek: Νεφελοκοκκυγία (el) f (Nefelokokkygía)

  Ancient: Νεφελοκοκκυγία f (Nephelokokkugía)

• Latin: Abdēra (la) n pl and f
• Polish: Chmurny Kukułczyn
• Portuguese: Cucolândia das Nuvens f
• Russian: страна́ э́льфов f (straná élʹfov), ска́зочная страна́ f (skázočnaja straná), мир грёз m (mir grjoz)
• Spanish: estar en los cielos

Further reading

• cloud cuckoo land on Wikipedia.Wikipedia