ivory tower
A sheltered, overly-academic existence or perspective, implying a disconnection or lack of awareness of reality or practical considerations.
Such a proposal looks fine from an ivory tower, but it could never work in real life.
noun
A tall, narrow structure (significantly taller than it is wide, either standing alone or forming part of a larger structure.
an observation tower, an isolated watch tower, a church tower, conning tower
The valley is closed in at the lower end by the village, the church tower and a few roofs being visible through the trees; […]
A tall, narrow structure (significantly taller than it is wide, either standing alone or forming part of a larger structure.
signal tower, radio tower, cell tower
A tall, narrow structure (significantly taller than it is wide, either standing alone or forming part of a larger structure.
observation tower, watch tower
A tall, narrow structure (significantly taller than it is wide, either standing alone or forming part of a larger structure.
A tall, narrow structure (significantly taller than it is wide, either standing alone or forming part of a larger structure.
The Sears Tower
He'd taken her to see […] The Towering Inferno […] She imagined the screen itself must be hot as the burning San Francisco tower. […] She expected the screen to go up in a sheath of flame as the Glass Tower had, expected sparks to leap from the aluminum into the surrounding hayfields, […]
verb
To be very tall.
The office block towered into the sky.
Potentilla and Ivory Daphne sat humpily about on the unfolded lawns, and ahead, there towered out enormous cliffs and fantastic pinnacles of what looked like Dolomite.
To be high or lofty; to soar.
My lord protector's hawks do tower so well.
When Hope, the eagle that tower’d, could see No cliff beyond him in the sky, His pinions were bent droopingly — And homeward turn’d his soften’d eye.
To soar into.
Her state with oary feet; yet oft they quit The dank, and, rising on stiff pennons, tower The mid aerial sky
noun
One who tows.
But as the tower and towee reached the cross-roads again, another car, negligently driven, came round the corner, hit the Morris, and severed the tow rope, sending the unfortunate car back again into the shop window[…]