whistle Dixie en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Refers to the song "Dixie", the traditional anthem of the Confederate States of America. The full implication is that the Confederacy would not succeed in the American Civil War through sentiment or token action alone.
Meanings
-
(Southern-US, idiomatic) To engage in idle conversational fantasies.
He said he was going to open a business next year, but I think he was just whistling Dixie.
"Sure is hot!" / "You ain't whistlin' Dixie!
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| whistling Dixie | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| whistled Dixie | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| whistled Dixie | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| whistles Dixie | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic |
Relateds
whistle down the wind · shoot the breeze · 'whistle' idioms · whistle past the graveyard · often including fantasies · whistle in the dark · bullshit · engage in idle conversation · build castles in the air · whistle in the wind · shoot the shit
Translations (6)
ru чеса́ть языко́м (to engage in idle conversational phantasies) · fi puhua joutavia (to engage in idle conversational phantasies) · ru балабо́нить (to engage in idle conversational phantasies) · cmn 想入非非 (to engage in idle conversational phantasies) · ru городи́ть ерунду́ (to engage in idle conversational phantasies) · pl fantazjować (to engage in idle conversational phantasies)