A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

wind in the head • windmills in the head
wind in the head —
1
. vain imagination or conceit: He has
probably got wind in the head through living in that gorgeous
Gothic pagoda. 2. unpredictability or flippancy in behavior:
“Wind in the head,” the servants called it. But it was but the
natural consequence of the state of mental and bodily idleness
in which she was placed.
Note: 
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
compound airhead—(U.S. sl.) smb. who isn’t very smart; a stupid
person: “Spell check” can’t save the truly illiterate ones. How
can such airheads ever manage to graduate?
windmills in the head —foolish projects or notions: These
windmills in the head are what apparently drive state policies
about “national security.”
wise as a Christian • wise as Solomon
wise as a Christian —(of an animal) intelligent: Then he
rubbed Feenish, the mare, all over, and instantly she became
as wise as a Christian, and knew every word that was said to
her.
wise as Solomon —having good judgment; very shrewd: In
some of the divorce cases one would need to be as wise as
Solomon to know which party was the more at fault.
wise guy • wise man
wise guy —(derog.) an impudent person who parades his
knowledge; smb. disagreeably self-assertive: He got what he
deserved this time. I believe he has learned his lesson and will
not be such a wise guy in the future.
wise man —
1
. a man of good judgment: A man who knows
a little bit of the past and a little bit about the future is con-
sidered a wise man with superior qualifications. 2. (coll.) a
shrewd and trusted guide and advisor: The appointment of
two independent “wise men” to prepare the ground for the
forthcoming talks, was suggested.
See also: wise men of Gotham / wise men of the East.