live in an/(one's) ivory tower



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live in an/(one's) ivory tower

To reside or exist in a place or among a social circle that is characterized by effete academic intelligence and thus is out of touch with or aloof from the realities of life. I don't put much weight in the advice of a bunch of economists living in their ivory towers who've never worked a real job in their lives. It seemed easy to solve all the world's problems when I was living in an ivory tower. Now that I'm out of college, I realize things are so much more complex than I'd imagined.
See also: ivory, live, tower

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Delyth-Welsh
Mirica-Croatian
Georgiygye-OR-gee, gee-OR-geeRussian
Fairy['fɛəri]
CÂNdida-Portuguese
Jet-Dutch