Meaning: To wish for something impossible to obtain
Hindi: असंभव वस्तु की इच्छा करना
Synonyms: wish for the impossible, want the unattainable
Antonyms: be realistic, settle for the possible
Asked in: SSC Steno 2026 T-1 · SSC CHSL 2023 T-1
cry for the moon in SSC previous-year questions
- SSC Steno 2026 T-1 Idioms & Phrases
Choose the alternative which gives the correct meaning of the given idiom or phrase.
Cry for the moonAnswer & explanation
Answer: A) To desire the unattainable
Meaning: cry for the moon = to long for something that can never be had *(असंभव की चाह करना, चाँद माँगना)*.
A child who points at the moon and demands it is asking for the unattainable *(अप्राप्य)*.
That impossibility is the whole force of the phrase.
Origin.
From the nursery — an infant reaching for the moon in the sky and howling when it is not handed over.
Dickens uses *crying for the moon* in *Bleak House* (1853), and the sense has not shifted since.
Why the others are wrong.
• to demand a significant raise *(बड़ी वेतनवृद्धि माँगना)* — a raise can be refused, but it is not impossible; the idiom needs something nobody could ever give.
• to weep during a lunar eclipse *(चंद्रग्रहण के समय र
Examples
- “Asking for a raise during the recession was like crying for the moon.”
cry for the moon – questions
What is the meaning of cry for the moon in Hindi?
cry for the moon means “असंभव वस्तु की इच्छा करना” in Hindi. In English: To wish for something impossible to obtain
What are the synonyms of cry for the moon?
Synonyms of cry for the moon: wish for the impossible, want the unattainable.
What is the opposite of cry for the moon?
Antonyms of cry for the moon: be realistic, settle for the possible.
Has cry for the moon been asked in SSC exams?
Yes – cry for the moon has been asked 2 times in SSC exams: SSC Steno 2026 T-1, SSC CHSL 2023 T-1.