On cloud nine
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
Extremely happy, elated, or euphoric.
Origin
Numbered clouds appeared in American slang during the 1930s and 1940s: cloud eight could mean intoxicated or aloof, cloud seven appeared in 1937, and a 1946 Dixie Dugan comic strip used on cloud nine for a lovestruck woman. Nine became the fixed number in the 1950s, probably under the influence of the older seventh heaven, but no special significance has been proved. Stories about nine classes of angels, Dante's ninth heaven, or a United States Weather Bureau cloud scale are later attempts to explain the number, not established origins.
Research Sources
Variants
- Cloud nine
- Up on cloud nine
Usage Examples
- Nadia was on cloud nine after hearing that her novel would be published.
- The winning goal left the entire town on cloud nine.
- I have been on cloud nine since our daughter arrived safely.