What does the idiom “Whistling Dixie” mean?
Definition:
Being unrealistically optimistic
For example:
“If you think you can get a ticket for under $200 at Christmastime, you’re whistling Dixie.”
Notes:
“Dixie” was a song used by the Confederate states during the U.S. Civil War. When it was clear that the Confederacy was losing the war, the idiom came to mean harboring unrealistic hopes.
