whistle Dixie

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

At least on disaster funding, the Congressman can whistle Dixie.

From The Daily Beast