{"id":10584,"date":"2022-11-16T22:16:38","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T22:16:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=10584"},"modified":"2022-11-16T22:16:38","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T22:16:38","slug":"i-have-no-illusions-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/i-have-no-illusions-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"I Have No Illusions \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you about to start a new business, and did someone tell you being an entrepreneur is more complicated than you think? You could retort that you \u201c<strong>have no illusions<\/strong>\u201d about going into business and let them know you\u2019re prepared to do what it takes to succeed.<\/p>\n<p>This post explores the phrase \u201cI Have No Illusions\u201d in-depth.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p>This phrase has two popular forms:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>\u201cI have no illusions.\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cI am under no illusion that\u2026\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>An illusion is anything <u>significantly different than it appears<\/u>, like a magic trick.<\/p>\n<p>In letting someone know that you have no illusions, you say that <strong>you understand the reality of the situation, including its unpleasant or challenging aspects<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>You can use the expression \u201c<strong>I have no illusions<\/strong>\u201d to clarify that you understand how hard or unpleasant something is. Here\u2019s how it\u2019s done:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cJim and I just closed on an old farm. <strong>I have no illusions<\/strong> that it will be easy, but we both look forward to doing whatever it takes to renovate the house and build a thriving homestead.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cI\u2019m <strong>under no illusion<\/strong> that my book will become a bestseller, but I think the odds of an indie publisher picking my manuscript up are decent.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cAs the country moves into difficult times, preparing for the challenges ahead is crucial. Nobody should labor under the illusion that it will be business as usual from here on out.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The word \u201cillusion\u201d is derived from the <strong>Latin<\/strong> word \u201c<em>illusionem<\/em>,\u201d which means mocking, jesting, or jeering, and combines earlier words that meant \u201cto mock\u201d and \u201cto play.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This word entered the French language in the <strong>12<sup>th<\/sup> century<\/strong>. The French \u201cillusion\u201d meant \u201cto deceive\u201d as well as to mock and jest, as in Latin.<\/p>\n<p>The English language picked the word illusion up in the late <strong>14<sup>th<\/sup> century<\/strong>, initially with the same meaning as the French word. It gradually evolved to mean a deceptive appearance and is often associated with magic.<\/p>\n<p>However, \u201cillusion\u201d can also be used in a figurative sense. Rather than a physical deception in which someone causes you to see things differently than they are, an illusion can allude to self-deception. In this case, people see what they want to see rather than what is there.<\/p>\n<p>The expressions \u201cI have no illusions\u201d and \u201cI am under no illusion\u201d indicate that the speaker holds no false beliefs. People often use these sayings when someone implies they don\u2019t understand the situation.<\/p>\n<p>Saying that you are \u201cunder no illusion\u201d aims to convince your conversational partner that you grasp the reality of the situation.<\/p>\n<p>For this reason, people usually say they have no illusions when accused of thinking that something is easier or better than it is.<\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to I Have No Illusions<\/h2>\n<p>Related phrases include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>You can\u2019t fool me <\/strong>\u2014 someone is trying to deceive you, and you say this isn\u2019t possible.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Warts and all<\/strong> \u2014 you accept the entire situation, both pros and cons.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Come hell or high water<\/strong> \u2014 you understand your goal is difficult to achieve, but you make it clear you will get there no matter what.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to I Have No Illusions<\/h2>\n<p>You can describe people who do have illusions as \u201c<strong>seeing something through rose-tinted glasses<\/strong>.\u201d This expression means they can only see the positive aspects of a situation.<\/p>\n<p>Related expressions include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Pollyanna<\/strong> \u2014 someone who is naively optimistic.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ignorance is bliss<\/strong> \u2014 an expression conveying that not knowing something can be pleasant.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What Is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<p>The correct sayings are \u201c<strong>I have no illusions<\/strong>\u201d and \u201c<strong>I am under no illusion<\/strong>.\u201d These expressions mean you fully understand the situation, including its challenging aspects.<\/p>\n<h2>Ways People May Say I Have No Illusions Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>Some people confuse \u201cillusion\u201d and \u201cdelusion.\u201d Both stop you from connecting with reality. However, an illusion is created by someone else, while a delusion is a persistent false belief associated with mental illness.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase I Have No Illusions<\/h2>\n<p>You can use the phrases \u201cI have no illusions\u201d and \u201cI am under no illusion\u201d whenever someone accuses you of not understanding how difficult something is. In using these sayings, you say that your decisions are based in reality, and you are ready for the challenges ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Are you about to start a new business, and did someone tell you being an entrepreneur is more complicated than you think? You could retort that you \u201chave no illusions\u201d about going into business and let them know you\u2019re prepared to do what it takes to succeed. This post explores the phrase \u201cI Have No [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10584"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10584"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10584\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10586,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10584\/revisions\/10586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}