not in Kansas anymore
1
9.9
- idiom
- Informal
:
no estoy en Kansas
- After moving to the bustling city, I realized I'm not in Kansas anymore.
Examples
-
Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.
-
Yeah, well you're not in Kansas anymore.
-
Toto... ...I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.
-
Man, Toto we sure ain't in Kansas anymore.
-
When I stepped into the art gallery, I knew I was not in Kansas anymore.
-
The unfamiliar food and customs made me feel like I'm not in Kansas anymore.
Synonyms
27
4.9
Very different from what you expect, often in a disappointing way
8
7.5
Not comfortable or confident in a new situation
Antonyms
How Familiar
∞
1.0
∞
1.6
98
3.2
63
3.5
- Informal
1
9.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
Although each word is semantically transparent, the phrase is a culture-specific reference (from The Wizard of Oz) used metaphorically to mean 'in an unfamiliar or very different situation'. A B1 learner who only knows the literal meanings of 'not', 'in', 'Kansas', and 'anymore' would not reliably infer this idiomatic sense, so the expression is opaque.
Etymology
Not in Kansas anymore comes from the movie 'The Wizard of Oz', when Dorothy says 'Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore' after her house lands in a strange, bright land. Because Kansas in the story was plain and familiar, the line became a way to say you are in a place or situation that feels new, strange, or very different.