Discussion in 'English Only' started by obscure, Oct 31, 2010.
What's the meaning of "because the sky is high"?
Do you have the context?
We always need at least a whole sentence in order to answer a question about what something means. Where did you see this phrase? What kind of writing is it and what is it about? "Because the sky is high" explains something. What is it explaining?
This information will give us a starting point for our discussion and help us give you a good answer, which is what we want to do.
Hi.I myself have no information about it.once my teacher at the english institute told us this expression.i think this means it's none of your bussiness or sth but i'm not sure.anyway thanks for your attention.
Buy the way,I don't know English well.So please ignore my mistakes in my texts.
and would you please tell me my mistakes?
The Google Books hits (13) and the Google Web hits (77) for "because the sky is high" suggest that the expression is not a set phrase in English (although it may be in some other language). It can be used non-figuratively, as in:
The youth feels as if he is riding an Arab horse; He is outraged because the sky is high, Because he cannot go back to his mother's womb, Because his father was born before him;... (source)
It also has a more idiomatic usage in which it is followed by a rhyme:
Because the sky is high and piggies can't fly.
Because the sky is high and elephants can't fly.
Because the sky is high and a pig like him can never fly.
Because the sky is high and I can't fly so don't ask me why.
Here's a dialogue from a chat forum:
- Are you an: "Otolaryngology’s”
- "Otolaryngology’s”? can you sing it plz
- Because the sky is high and Birds fly.
~ I'd interpret 'because the sky is high' in this particular dialogue as an answer to a seemingly superfluous question. The speaker states a fact that is as obvious as the 'real' answer supposedly is.
Separate names with a comma.