the moon on a stickとは 意味・読み方・使い方

語源

The term describes something that is impossible to obtain.

発音

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈmuːn ɒn ə ˈstɪk/
• (General American) IPA: /ˈmun ɑn ə ˈstɪk/
• 韻: -ɪk

名詞

the moon on a stick

1. (chiefly US, hyperbolic, idiomatic) All that one could desire, especially as an unreasonable demand; everything.
   • 2002, Donald Clarke, Billie Holiday: Wishing on the Moon:

     Once I saved twenty-five dollars and bought her a print gown for her birthday, and she was so pleased you'd have thought I'd given her the moon on a stick.

   • 2002, Martin Parker, Utopia and Organization:

     There is no point in asking for the moon on a stick, but we can produce cheap sticks through a sensible division of labour and sell them with effective market segmentation strategies. Leave the moon for dreamers.

   • 2006, Stella Hyde, Tonwen Jones, Snarling Tiger, Dirty Rat:

     You promise partners the moon on a stick, so that you can snatch it back easily when you change your mind.

   • 2007, Pamela Cotterill, Sue Jackson, Gayle Letherby, Challenges and Negotiations for Women in Higher Education:

     What more do I want—the moon on a stick of course.

関連する語

Further reading

• Colin McIntosh, editor (2013), “the moon on a stick”, in Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 4th edition, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, reproduced in the Cambridge English Dictionary website, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.