Entertainment / Literature / Ivory Tower: A derogatory term for a place, situation, or philosophical outlook that ignores or overlooks practical, worldly affairs. A French literary critic named Sainte-Beuve coined the phrase, and the term has become popular in American vernacular as well. Poets, artists, scholars, teachers, and other intellectuals are often accused of 'living in an ivory tower'--i.e., hiding from the real world or putting all their effort into impractical ideals. The term presupposes that art and thinking are irrelevant in the real world and that such foci are unhelpful in achieving real happiness, understanding, or social change.
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Tower Verb Synonyms: bell-tower, campanile, minaret, pagoda, obelisk, belfry, spire, turret, steeple, flŠche
Tower Preposition Synonyms: fortress, citadel, stronghold, castle, fastness, keep, dungeon, prison
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Science / Marine Biology / Omnivory: Being able to feed in more than one distinct way (e.g., an organism capable of carnivory and herbivory) MORE
Technology / Cell Phones / Telephone Transmission Tower: A telephone base station located on top of a tall, free-standing structure. MORE
Science / Weather / Towering Cumulus: Another name for cumulus congestus, it is a rapidly growing cumulus or an individual dome-shaped clouds whose height exceeds its width. Its distinctive cauliflower top often mean showers below, but la MORE