Also: I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore
This idiom comes from a line by the character Dorothy in the movie, The Wizard Of Oz, the 1939 adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. The actual line in the film, which Dorothy uttered after her arrival in Oz, is ‘Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.’ This line has been misremembered or simplified to ‘I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore’ or ‘we’re not in Kansas anymore.” It began to be used idiomatically sometime during the 1980s.
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Meaning of Idiom ‘We’re Not in Kansas Anymore’
We’re not in Kansas anymore means we are no longer in a familiar place; we are in a new and unknown situation; we are beyond what is normal or everyday; we are in an uncomfortable circumstance; things are getting strange.
Usage Notes
This idiom is used as a standalone phrase. Both versions, “we’re not in Kansas anymore” and “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore” are interchangeable. It is used in a humorous and flippant way. The first person singular is also used.
“We’re not in Kansas anymore” should be considered a compositional idiom, as many variations on the general theme are possible, as long as they involved a place or situation ‘not being Kansas.’ For example, “This doesn’t look like Kansas to me.”
Examples Of Use
“I can’t believe it’s come to this. Everybody has to wear masks and stay away from each other. We’re not in Kansas anymore.”
“The first time I stepped onto the tarmac after arriving in Saudi Arabia the hot wind hit me like a giant hairdryer. I knew I wasn’t in Kansas anymore.”
Origin
Used since the 1980s.
This idiom comes from the 1939 film, The Wizard Of Oz.