The origin of the phrase is the (mistaken) belief that the ostrich buries its head when in danger .
Today the expression means to ignore unwanted news or events in the hope that they will go away.
It means you're ignoring an unpleasant fact or situation, in the hopes that it'll change.
It comes from the idea that ostriches supposedly bury their heads to deter predators, which doesn't sound like a very good survival strategy.
Directly from the first attested European quote about the ostrich's feeding habit in sand moss or loose soil; "Alike (the) Austridge, who hiding her little head, supposeth her great body obscured" [1623] ...the meaning implying the ostrich is meant to be 'hiding' while the rest of its body remains visible, likened to a child 'hiding' its eyes and becoming 'invisible' thereby. ________________________________________________________________ to avoid hearing or seeing anything happening around you
Head in the sand means hiding from the troubles that face you. Not standing up to danger. It refers to the myth that an ostrich when confronted will hide their heads in the sand even though it is not true.
It means to ignore something, even when that something could be dangerous to the person in question or to those on whom he/she bears responsibility.
The imagery comes from the (erroneous) belief that ostriches bury their heads in the sand. The idea is that, with one's head under the ground not able to see or hear outside, they aren't aware of what's going on: usually at a time when they SHOULD be aware.
The phrase can be used more forcefully to imply that this ignorance is intentional and that the object of the idiom is making a very poor response to a crisis.
meaning of head waiteress
To deposit and cover in the earth; to bury; to inhume; as, to inter a dead body.
I think the Runescape developers probably originally envisioned Clarence the wizard's head being found in the sand (head in the sand) but then later realized if you found his head first there wouldn't really be a mystery or quest to solve since it would be obvious who it belonged to, being his head and all. So they changed it to hand but left the pun I guess.
head and shoulder
Bury
You should stand up and take notice, don't bury your head in the sand like an ostrich.
Flamingos do not actually bury their head in the sand. It is a myth. Some also say that ostrich bury their heads in the sand, but this is also a myth.
No. An emu does not stick its head in the sand. Nor, for that matter, does an ostrich.
Neither ostriches, or flamingos bury their head in the sand.
As numerous as the sand of the seashore. The sands of time. Bury one's head in the sand. A rope of sand. Draw a line in the sand.
The expression "head in the sand" means someone is ignoring or refusing to acknowledge a problem or difficult situation, often by pretending it doesn't exist. It refers to the way ostriches are falsely believed to bury their heads in sand to avoid danger.
its ostrich........its the native of Australia but also found in Africa The ostrich is a large African flightless bird. It is not native to Australia and it does not ever bury it's head in the sand.
condere vester caput in harena.... said the 7th grade latin student
I gather it means to bury your head in the sand, as ostriches reportedly do when they are frightened and want to go into 'full denial mode'.
no fartheads
you throw dry sand on it
no. Even camels need to breathe, despite their ability to close their nose with flaps.