Idiom: Ivory tower

Question

HiWould you say both of these are natural? (My main emphasis is on learning the idiom ivory tower)(employees about the bosses of a big company)We can't go on accepting these ivory-tower attitudes towards all of us.We can't go on accepting these ivory-towerish attitudes towards all of us.Thanks,Tom

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Although the suffix -ish is flexible, and can be added to many modifiers, I've never heard it added to "ivory tower."

Mr. Tom · Answer

Thanks, AStar.

Just to make sure I understood you correctly. Is this sentence fully natural in spoken and written English?

(employees about the bosses of a big company)

We can't go on accepting these ivory-tower attitudes towards all of us.

Tom

Anonymous · Answer

In the US today, the adjective, "ivory-tower," is usually used only with respect to academia (e.g.: "He's your typical ivory-tower academic."), that is, with respect to an environment divorced from everyday reality. Business, being the antithesis of academia, would not be a context in which to use it. So neither of the two given sentences would be used in US English.

However, th

However, the noun, "ivory tower," is used in many situations, for example:

"The boss just went back into his ivory tower (his office) so he won't have to deal with us."

Line from a famous country song: "So they [everyday people] while away the hours, in their ivory towers, till they're covered up with flowers, in the back of a black limousine."

"You want to build yourself a little ivory tower, so that you don't have to deal with reality."

Idiom: Ivory tower

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