His wits were a woolgathering, as they say. --Burton. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
Woolgathering — Author(s) Patti … Wikipedia
Woolgathering — Wool gath er*ing, a. Indulging in a vagrant or idle exercise of the imagination; roaming upon a fruitless quest; idly fanciful. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
woolgathering — 1550s, indulging in wandering fancies and purposeless thinking, from the lit. meaning gathering fragments of wool torn from sheep by bushes, etc. (see WOOL (Cf. wool) + GATHER (Cf. gather)) … Etymology dictionary
woolgathering — /wool gadh euhr ing/, n. 1. indulgence in idle fancies and in daydreaming; absentmindedness: His woolgathering was a handicap in school. 2. gathering of the tufts of wool shed by sheep and caught on bushes. [1545 55; WOOL + GATHERING] * * * … Universalium
woolgathering — noun a) Gathering fragments of wool torn from sheep by bushes, etc. I had bad times after that crying at night and woolgathering by day. For two terms I slackened and had bad reports. b) Indulging in idle fancies or daydreams. See Also: wool… … Wiktionary
woolgathering — noun lost in her daily woolgathering Syn: daydreaming, reverie, dreaming, musing, abstraction, preoccupation; absentmindedness, forgetfulness … Thesaurus of popular words
woolgathering — I noun an idle indulgence in fantasy • Derivationally related forms: ↑woolgather • Hypernyms: ↑dream, ↑dreaming II adjective dreamy in mood or nature a woolgathering moment … Useful english dictionary
woolgathering — noun Date: 1553 indulgence in idle daydreaming … New Collegiate Dictionary
woolgathering — Synonyms and related words: Walter Mitty, absence of mind, absent, absentminded, absentmindedness, absorbed, absorption, abstracted, abstractedness, abstraction, bemused, bemusement, brown study, castle building, daydream, daydreamer, daydreaming … Moby Thesaurus
woolgathering — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) adj. absentmindedness, daydreaming. See imagination, inactivity. II (Roget s 3 Superthesaurus) n. absentmindedness, daydreaming, dreaming, reverie, *castle building, abstraction, preoccupation. III… … English dictionary for students
