‘He’s away with the fairies’
What are the origins of this phrase? It’s used to describe someone who is anyone who is incapable of normal conversation, utterly distracted, or displaying odd or bizarre behaviour.
In Irish and Scottish tradition there are numerous tales of humans who, by accident or design, found themselves visiting the Faerie Folk. They would spend what appeared to be just a short time among them, but on their return to the human world they would find that many years had passed. So someone who is ‘away with the fairies’ is so called because he or she does not seem to be part of the normal, human world.
