was wotd|2006|November|7
English
wikipedia
Etymology
The term was first used in Song of Solomon 7:4, but its meaning is different. Its current meaning seems to be from F. tour d'ivoire, in an 1837 poem by w:Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve|Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, where it is used to describe the poetical attitude of Alfred de Vigny as contrasted with the more socially engaged Victor Hugo. The first known written use in English is H. L. Bergson's Laughter (1911) by Frederick Rothwell and Cloudesley Shovell Henry Brereton.1
Pronunciation
IPA|/�aɪv�ri �ta��/ italbrac|RP
IPA|/�aɪv�ri �ta��/ italbrac|US
audio|en-us-ivory tower.ogg|Audio (US)
Noun
en-noun|sg=ivory tower
- idiom A sheltered, overly-academic existence or perspective, implying a disconnection or lack of awareness of reality or practical considerations.
#: Such a proposal looks fine from an ivory tower, but it could never work in real life.
Quotations
2005 � Daniel Walker, s:Valedictory, Hamilton College, 2005|Valedictory speech for Hamilton College
:Hamilton College is an ivory tower with an open bar, and so I - who work and play equally hard - have come to love this place, and have been dead-set against leaving it.
Translations
trans-top|ivory tower
Danish: elfenbenstårn
Finnish: norsunluutorni
German: Elfenbeinturm m
trans-mid
French: tour d'ivoire
Japanese: JAchar|象��� (z�ge no t�)
trans-bottom
fr:ivory tower
ru:ivory tower
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