whistle in the dark

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

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, published 2012, page 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) (zhuàngdǎn)

• 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