Meanings
- excessiveidiomaticAll that one could desire, especially as an unreasonable demand; everything.
What more do I want—the moon on a stick of course.
2007, Pamela Cotterill, Sue Jackson, Gayle Letherby, Challenges and Negotiations for Women in Higher Education3 more examples
Once I saved twenty-five dollars and bought her a print gown for her birthday, and she was so pleased you'd have thought I'd given her the moon on a stick.
2002, Donald Clarke, Billie Holiday: Wishing on the MoonThere is no point in asking for the moon on a stick, but we can produce cheap sticks through a sensible division of labour and sell them with effective market segmentation strategies. Leave the moon for dreamers.
2002, Martin Parker, Utopia and OrganizationYou promise partners the moon on a stick, so that you can snatch it back easily when you change your mind.
2006, Stella Hyde, Tonwen Jones, Snarling Tiger, Dirty Rat
Origin
The term describes something that is impossible to obtain.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish kuu taivaalta
- kuu taivaaltaall that one could desire, especially as an unreasonable demand — see also everything
Polish gwiazdka z nieba
- gwiazdka z niebaall that one could desire, especially as an unreasonable demand — see also everything
Russian луна́ с не́ба
- луна́ с не́ба (luná s néba)all that one could desire, especially as an unreasonable demand — see also everything
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with the moon on a stick
Cite this entry
the moon on a stick. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20moon%20on%20a%20stick
“the moon on a stick.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20moon%20on%20a%20stick. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “the moon on a stick,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20moon%20on%20a%20stick.
Source: the moon on a stick on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.