English [ edit ]
Alternative forms [ edit ]
Etymology [ edit ]
Will ( “ male given name ” ) + of + the + wisp ( “ bundle of straw or hay used as a torch ” ) [1]
Pronunciation [ edit ]
will o' the wisp (plural will o' the wisps )
( British folklore ) A flickering light or lantern, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes, held by a supernatural creature who uses it to lure travelers at night to their demise.
1988 , Michael Weikath, "Keeper of the Seven Keys", Helloween, Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II .
Will o' the wisps / Misguiding your path / You can't throw a curse / Without takin' their wrath
( idiomatic ) A delusionary or otherwise unachievable goal that one feels compelled to pursue.
1951 May, R. K. Kirkland, “The Cavan & Leitrim Railway”, in Railway Magazine , page 345 :Some preliminary legal arrangements were made, but the scheme proceeded no further, as the various local authorities concerned were unwilling to speculate public funds on what was, even at that date, a will o' the wisp .
1992 March 2, Richard Preston, “The Mountains of Pi ”, in The New Yorker :I happen to think the brothers’ pi project is a will-o’-the-wisp , and is one of the least interesting things they’ve ever done. But what do I know?
Synonyms [ edit ]
Translations [ edit ]
strange light
Afrikaans: dwaallig
Arabic: الوَهْج المُسْتَنْقعيّ ( alwahj almustanqey ) , النار الحمقاء ( alnaar alhamqa' )
Assamese: ধনগুলৈ ( dhonguloi )
Basque: sutxakurra , argi-txakurra , arima-argia
Bengali: আলেয়া (bn) ( aleẏa )
Bikol Central: santilmo
Bulgarian: блуждаещият пламък ( bluždaeštijat plamǎk ) , зловещо сияние ( zlovešto sijanie )
Catalan: foc follet m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 鬼火 (zh) ( guǐhuǒ )
Czech: bludička
Danish: lygtemand c
Dutch: dwaallicht (nl) m
Esperanto: vaglumo , erarlumo
Estonian: virvatuli
Finnish: virvatuli (fi) , aarretuli , aarnituli (fi) , aarnivalkea (fi)
French: feu follet (fr) m
Friulian: fûc voladi m
Galician: fogo fatuo
Georgian: ცთომილი ალი ( ctomili ali ) , ცდომილი ალი ( cdomili ali ) , ცდომილი სინათლე ( cdomili sinatle ) , ცთომილი სინათლე ( ctomili sinatle ) , ცთომილი შუქი ( ctomili šuki ) , ცდომილი შუქი ( cdomili šuki )
German: Irrlicht (de) , Sumpflichter , Irrwisch , Sumpflicht
Hebrew: אוֹר מַטְעֶה m ( or mat'é ) , ויל-או'-דה-ויספ , ויל-או-ויס
Hungarian: lidérc (hu) , lidércfény (hu) , bolygótűz (hu)
Icelandic: hrævareldur (is) m
Irish: tine ghealáin
Italian: fuoco fatuo (it) m
Japanese: 鬼火 (ja) ( onibi ) , ウィルオウィスプ ( wiru-o-wisupu ) , ウィル・オー・ザ・ウィスプ ( wiru ō za wisupu )
Korean: 도깨비불 ( dokkaebibul ) , 윌오더위스프 ( wirodeowiseupeu )
Latin: ( Medieval Latin ) ignis fatuus m , ignis erraticus
Latvian: malduguns
Lithuanian: žaltvykslė , pelkių ugnis
Lombard: foeugh arz , fogazzoeu , foeugh senza foeugh , fiammei , fiamminn , fana
Low German:
German Low German: Spöklicht , Dodenlücht
Malay: jerambang
Maori: tūtutupo , unahiroa
Norman: bélengi , veue d'aventuthe
Norwegian: lyktemann , irrlys , vettelys , alvelys
Occitan: fuòc folet
Pashto: اګیا بیتال , چیهلوا
Persian: روشنایی مرداب
Plautdietsch: Woselicht n
Polish: ognik (pl) m , błędny ognik m
Portuguese: fogo-fátuo (pt) m , fogo tolo m , fogo corredor m ( Brazil ) , João Galafoice m ( Brazil ) , boitatá (pt) m ( Brazil )
Romani: choxãnêski-vyedyáriya f
Romanian: focul rătăcitor
Russian: блужда́ющий огонёк m ( bluždájuščij ogonjók )
Sardinian: fogu de campusantu , ziròne , focu de sas animas
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: дивљи огањ m
Roman: divlji oganj m
Slovak: bludička , svetlonos
Slovene: varljivo svetlikanje , nepojasnjeni ogenj
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: błudnik
Upper Sorbian: błudnička
Spanish: fuego fatuo m , luces de muerto f pl ( Costa Rica )
Swedish: irrbloss (sv) n , lyktgubbe (sv) c
Turkish: bataklık ışığı , bataklık yakamozu
Ukrainian: вогники мандрівні ( vohnyky mandrivni ) , блукаючі вогні (uk) ( blukajuči vohni ) , мандрівні вогні ( mandrivni vohni ) , блимавки ( blymavky )
Urdu: اگیا بیتال , چھلاوا
Vietnamese: ma trơi (vi)
West Flemish: dwoalluchtn , dwoasluchtn
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]