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ask for the moon

idiom
Meaning

To claim or desire something that one cannot have.


Examples
SIMPLE

Asking for a raise this soon is asking for the moon.

CONTEXTUAL

The manager told the client that expecting the project finished by tomorrow is asking for the moon.

COMPLEX

While he understood the team's ambition, he cautioned them that requesting such an enormous budget during a financial crisis was essentially asking for the moon.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    ask after

    To enquire about the health or progress (of someone).

  2. 02

    ask around

    To enquire of different people about something.

  3. 03

    ask for it

    To provoke an unwanted action; to invite a problem or fail to prevent one.

  4. 04

    ask my arse

    A common reply to any question; once common at court and among sailors, under the name of "selling bargains".

  5. 05

    ask round

    To enquire of several people.

  6. 06

    blue moon

    A long time.

  7. 07

    hang the moon

    To place the moon in the sky: used as an example of a superlative act attributed to someone viewed with uncritical or excessive awe, reverence, or infatuation.

  8. 08

    howl at the moon

    To spend considerable time and effort fruitlessly in a hopeless endeavor.

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