The term “cloud nine” refers to a state of happiness or intoxication. Its origins are uncertain, but it may have come from an association with clouds as a place of happiness. “Over the moon” is a similar expression for extreme happiness.
The term “cloud nine” is typically used to refer to a state of happiness and euphoria, although it can instead be used to refer to intoxication or lightheaded feelings. The exact origins of this term are hard enough to discern, although one particularly popular and almost universally rejected explanation refers to a numerical system said to have once been used by the Weather Bureau in the United States to designate cloud height. Regardless of its origins, most people use the phrase “to be over the moon” to mean extreme happiness or satisfaction with life.
“Nine cloud” is a term typically associated with general happiness, regardless of the cause of that happiness, or with a state of inattention or daydreaming. This term is probably of American origin and early use, although it could come from a variety of sources. It has been used within numerous drug cultures, often associated with illegal narcotics that are often consumed through burning and inhaling the smoke they produce, such as marijuana or “crack” cocaine. In this usage, “cloud nine” may have a negative connotation, as it typically refers to a state of euphoria that may be experienced by someone under the influence of the drug, and may indicate physical incapacity as a result of this intoxication.
Many people use the expression “over the moon” to refer to a state of general happiness, or daydreaming. This may be associated with other terms such as “having one’s head in the clouds” and the numerical value of the expression seems to change in different usages over time. There is evidence of people using the terms “cloud seven” and “cloud eight” and “cloud nine,” all with the same meanings. “Cloud seven” even seems to indicate a relationship to the notion of “seventh heaven” and positive feelings of happiness associated with such an exalted status.
Some sources cite the origin of “cloud nine” as an old system once used by the United States Meteorological Bureau to classify clouds based on their height. There is little evidence to support this claim, however, and not much evidence to show that such a system was ever used. The available evidence, however, suggests that 10 would have been the highest cloud level, making the use of “nine” and the variable nature of the numerical value in older usages further discredit this source. It is probable that “cloud nine” simply comes from an association with clouds as a place of happiness away from the cares of an earthly world and that the numerical value was largely arbitrary.
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