Idiom
Vanish into Thin Air: Origin and Meaning
Meaning
To suddenly disappear completely, without leaving a trace.
Origin
This phrase was partly created by Shakespeare. In his play Othello (1604) he wrote:
“Then put up your pipes in your bag, for I’ll away. Go; vanish into air; away!”
In another play, The Tempest (1610), he wrote:
“These our actors, as I foretold you, were all spirits and are melted into air, into thin air.”
However, Shakespeare did not put ‘vanish into air’ and ‘into thin air’ together to make ‘vanish into thin air’. The first time this phrase was printed was in The Edinburgh Advertiser in 1822:
“The latest communications make these visions vanish into thin air.”
This phrase was partly created by Shakespeare. In his play Othello (1604) he wrote:“Then put up your pipes in your bag, for I’ll away. Go; vanish into air; away!”
In another play, The Tempest (1610), he wrote:
“These our actors, as I foretold you, were all spirits and are melted into air, into thin air.”
However, Shakespeare did not put ‘vanish into air’ and ‘into thin air’ together to make ‘vanish into thin air’. The first time this phrase was printed was in The Edinburgh Advertiser in 1822:
“The latest communications make these visions vanish into thin air.”
Examples
“The police were chasing the man down the road and he somehow vanished into thin air. They still haven’t been able to find him.”
“Have you seen my phone? Things don’t just vanish into thin air!”
Teacher: “Jeremy, where is your homework? Don’t tell me the dog ate it again!”
Jeremy: “Sorry miss. I did it last night, I promise! I left it on the kitchen table and when I went to pick it up this morning it had gone, vanished into thin air!”
“Have you seen my phone? Things don’t just vanish into thin air!”
Teacher: “Jeremy, where is your homework? Don’t tell me the dog ate it again!”
Jeremy: “Sorry miss. I did it last night, I promise! I left it on the kitchen table and when I went to pick it up this morning it had gone, vanished into thin air!”
