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Chase rainbows

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

To pursue unrealistic dreams or illusory goals that are unlikely to be achieved.

Detailed Definition
This idiom blends beauty with futility, as rainbows are lovely but unreachable. In poetry, it often critiques naive idealism or celebrates noble, if doomed, aspiration. Poets use it in elegies for lost youth, satires of ambition, or Romantic odes to transcendent longing. Its spectral imagery evokes both hope and delusion, making it ideal for exploring the tension between imagination and reality—where the act of pursuit, however vain, defines character more than attainment.
Example
Example in poetry:
Dreamer’s lament: “Spent youth chasing rainbows, now old and colorblind”; Parental warning: “Don’t chase rainbows, child—plant seeds in soil you can touch”; Artistic defense: “Yes, I chase rainbows; someone must paint the sky beyond gray spreadsheets”; Realist’s sigh: “Chased rainbows of fame, caught only drizzle—still, the chase taught me to look up.”
Additional Notes
This idiom blends beauty with futility, as rainbows are lovely but unreachable. In poetry, it critiques naive idealism or celebrates noble, if doomed, aspiration. Its spectral imagery evokes both hope and delusion, making it ideal for exploring the tension between imagination and reality. Students should note its connection to myth (Noah’s covenant) but modern usage often secularizes it. Related phrases include “pipe dream” and “castle in the air.” In Romantic odes, it honors transcendent longing; in satirical verse, it mocks impractical dreams. Effective when paired with concrete failure: “Chased rainbows of fame, caught only drizzle.”
Also Known As
Chase pipe dreams
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