Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bury one's head in the sand

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.68 in modern English

Syllables: bury one's -head- in the sand
IPA

34

Scrabble Score

21

Letters

3

Syllables

13

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To deliberately ignore the reality of a situation; to pretend a problem does not exist.

Example Sentences

"Now this doubtness is an unhappy state of affairs to the lover of the steam locomotive, but we cannot, like the proverbial ostrich, bury our heads in the sand and refuse to face facts."

Etymology

A reference to the imagined habit of the ostrich burying its head when threatened. See also head in the sand.

Inflected Forms

buries one's head in the sand (present, singular) burying one's head in the sand (participle, present) buried one's head in the sand (participle, past) buried one's head in the sand (past)

Phrases

fiddle while Rome burns sweep something under the rug

Frequently Paired Words

fiddle while Rome burns sweep something under the rug

Questions

What does bury one's head in the sand mean?: To deliberately ignore the reality of a situation; to pretend a problem does not exist.
Where does bury one's head in the sand come from?: A reference to the imagined habit of the ostrich burying its head when threatened. See also head in the sand.

How to pronounce bury one's head in the sand

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