whistle in the dark

whistle in the dark

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

whistle in the dark (third-person singular simple present whistles in the dark, present participle whistling in the dark, simple past and past participle whistled in the dark)

1. (colloquial) To make a show of bravery despite one's fears; to put on a brave face.
   • 2011, Norman Davies, Vanished Kingdoms, Penguin 2012, p. 6:

     Those who seriously believe ‘There'll always be an England’ are whistling in the dark.

2. (idiomatic, US) To speak of something despite having little knowledge of it.

Synonyms

• (make a show of bravery): whistle past the graveyard
• (speak of something without knowledge): talk through one's hat, talk out one's ass

Translations

make a show of bravery

Chinese: Mandarin: 壮胆 (zh) Finnish: vislailla French: please add this translation if you can German: pfeifen im Walde Japanese: please add this translation if you can Russian: бодри́ться (ru) (bodrítʹsja), напускать на себя́ споко́йствие (napuskatʹ na sebjá spokójstvije) Spanish: poner buena cara

speak without knowledge

Chinese: Mandarin: 乱猜 Finnish: puhua läpiä päähänsä French: please add this translation if you can: German: wie der Blinde von der Farbe reden Japanese: please add this translation if you can: Russian: говори́ть не зна́я ничего́ то́лком (govorítʹ ne znája ničevó tólkom) Spanish: mojonear (es)

See also

• whistle down the wind
• whistle in the wind
• whistle past the graveyard
• whistle Dixie