ivory tower: Meaning and Definition of

i'vory tow'er

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a place or situation remote from worldly or practical affairs: the university as an ivory tower.
  2. an attitude of aloofness from or disdain or disregard for worldly or practical affairs: his ivory tower of complacency.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.