das Blaue vom Himmel versprechen

to promise the moon; to make impossible promises

Origin

The "blue" of the sky stands for the unattainable, which one can see but never seize. Already attested in the 17th/18th c. as an image for empty promises (a common expression in Claudius, 1794).

Source →

Building blocks

Words in this expression

gern· gladly der Himmel· sky der Politiker· politician versprechen vom· from the der Wahlkampf· election campaign

Grammar that uses this word

Regular verbs: er/sie/es-form (stem + -t)Regelmäßige Verben: er/sie/es-Form (Stamm + -t)
Regular verbs: wir-form (stem + -en)Regelmäßige Verben: wir-Form (Stamm + -en)
Preposition 'von' (from/of, dative)Präposition 'von' (Dativ)
Adjective declension after the definite article (nom./acc.)Adjektivdeklination nach bestimmtem Artikel (Nom./Akk.)
Predicate adjective after 'sein' (to be)Prädikatives Adjektiv nach 'sein'
Predicate adjective after 'werden' (to become)Prädikatives Adjektiv nach 'werden'

Examples

Im das Blaue .
During campaigns politicians like to promise the moon.