be not whistling Dixie

slang To have a realistic or honest view of something, as opposed to an overly optimistic one. "Dixie" was a song popular among Confederate soldiers during the US Civil War and became associated with continuing to hope for the success of a lost cause. Primarily heard in US. It sounds like they really are going to give everyone a raise. You weren't just whistling Dixie, Bob! A: "That storm looks like it could do some serious damage." B: "You're not whistling Dixie! We'd better get all the farm equipment stowed inside before it hits." A: "Hoo boy, these financial results are pretty grim." B: "You're not whistlin' Dixie, Tom."

be whistling Dixie

proverb slang To have an unrealistic, usually overly optimistic, view of something. "Dixie" was a song popular among Confederate soldiers during the US Civil War and became associated with continuing to hope for the success of a lost cause. Primarily heard in UK. You're whistling Dixie if you think we're making the playoffs this year. Please, there's no way they give everyone a raise this year. You're just whistling Dixie, Bob!

See also: Dixie, whistle

not (just) whistling Dixie

slang Having a realistic or honest view of something, as opposed to an overly optimistic one. "Dixie" was a song popular among Confederate soldiers during the US Civil War and became associated with continuing to hope for the success of a lost cause. It sounds like they really are going to give everyone a raise. You weren't just whistling Dixie, Bob!

whistle Dixie

slang To have an unrealistic, usually overly optimistic, view of something. "Dixie" was a song popular among Confederate soldiers during the US Civil War and became associated with continuing to hope for the success of a lost cause. Primarily heard in US. You're whistling Dixie if you think we're making the playoffs this year.

See also: Dixie, whistle

you ain't (just) whistling Dixie

What you just said is absolutely true; you ain't kidding. "Dixie" was a song popular among Confederate soldiers during the US Civil War, eventually coming to represent idle chitchat, silly fantasies, or foolish nonsense. Primarily heard in US. A: "That storm looks like it could do some serious damage." B: "You ain't just whistling Dixie! We'd better get all the farm equipment stowed inside before it hits." A: "Hoo boy, these financial results are pretty grim." B: "You ain't whistlin' Dixie, Tom."

See also: Dixie, whistle

not just whistling Dixie

Rur. not talking nonsense. (Alludes to a song titled "Dixie.") Man, you are right! You're not just whistling Dixie. When you say she is wrong, you're not just whistling Dixie.

You ain't just whistlin' Dixie.

Rur. You are right. Tom: Sure is hot today. Bill: Yeah, you ain't just whistlin' Dixie. It's a scorcher. Charlie: That was a good movie. Jane: You ain't just whistlin' Dixie. It was the best I've ever seen.

whistle Dixie

Engage in unrealistic, hopeful fantasizing, as in If you think you can drive there in two hours, you're whistling Dixie. This idiom alludes to the song "Dixie" and the vain hope that the Confederacy, known as Dixie, would win the Civil War.

See also: Dixie, whistle

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

not be whistling Dixie

AMERICAN

If someone is not whistling Dixie, they are being honest or realistic and should not be ignored. `Is that a threat?' — `I'm not just whistling Dixie.' He was not whistling Dixie last month when he told financial analysts that the firm is as competitive as ever. Note: Dixie was the name given to the region of the southern and eastern United States which formed the Confederate side in the Civil War. The area gave its name to several songs which were popular as Confederate war songs.

whistle Dixie

engage in unrealistic fantasies; waste your time. US

Dixie is an informal name for the Southern states of the USA. The marching song ‘Dixie’ ( 1859 ) was popular with Confederate soldiers in the American Civil War.

2001 New York Times These guys are just whistling Dixie…They're ignoring the basic issues that everyone's been pointing out to them for a decade.

See also: Dixie, whistle

not just whistling Dixie

(...ˈdɪksi)

tv. not talking nonsense. (Folksy. Refers to a song titled Dixie.) Man, you are right! You’re not just whistling Dixie.

whistle Dixie

Slang

To engage in unrealistically rosy fantasizing: "If you think mass transportation is going to replace the automobile I think you're whistling Dixie" (Henry Ford II).

See also: Dixie, whistle

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

whistlin' Dixie, you ain't just

You said a mouthful. The origin of this expression has been lost, but it is generally thought to allude to the 1860 song “Dixie,” with words and music by Dan Emmett. Originally written for a minstrel show, it became famous as a Civil War marching song of the Confederacy, “Dixie” being a nickname for the South whose origin has also been lost. Allegedly General Pickett, just before he made his famous charge at Gettysburg, ordered that the song be played to bolster the morale of his troops. The saying presumably means that you’re not just whistling the marching song and mouthing empty words, but instead getting down to the actual combative meaning. See also you said a mouthful.