What does it Mean to ‘Ask for the Moon’?

To ask for the moon means —

• to make impossible demands;
• to make a wish that cannot be fulfilled;
• to make an unreasonable demand which nobody can fulfill.

‘Ask for the moon’ is a variant of a phrase used in the 18th century — cry for the moon. The moon is symbolic of an object which nobody can claim or ever hope to own. Therefore, wishing to own the moon is futile.

This idiom is mostly used in negative sentences.

For example —

“All we want is we be allowed to go home at 6 PM. We are not asking for the moon.”

Our demand is not unreasonable or impossible. We just want to leave at 6 pm.

I hope you found this story interesting. If you did, buy my full course on Udemy, or watch it for free on Skillshare by signing up here. This course covers nearly 380 idioms with their origins and backstories.

Hi, I am Gauri Shanker, a Vocab teacher and enthusiast. I teach vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. You can check out my courses here.