What it means
Means someone’s daydreaming or zoned out, staring through you like their brain’s gone on a wee holiday. You say it when a mate’s not listening, forgetting obvious stuff, or just drifting off mid-chat. It’s usually said with a bit of affection or gentle slagging, not full-on offence. Handy for that Monday morning look.
Usage examples
"I asked yer man what time the meeting was and he just blinked at me. Proper away with the fairies, like he’d missed the whole craic."
"I asked him three times and got no answer, he was completely away with the fairies."
"She is lovely but a bit away with the fairies, always losing her keys and her train of thought."
Where it comes from
Comes straight from folklore, where the fairies were said to spirit people away, leaving the body behind while the mind wandered in their world. Someone away with the fairies is off in that dreamland: vacant, distracted, head somewhere else entirely. It paints the daydreamer as gently carried off by the little folk, present in body but miles away in spirit.
Other ways to say it
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