whistle in the dark

Idioms  

1. Summon up courage in a frightening situation, make a show of bravery. For example, They knew they were lost and were just whistling in the dark. This expression alludes to a literal attempt to keep up one's courage. [First half of 1900s]

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Example Sentences

Neither extreme, Khan seems to suggest, is more than a whistle in the dark, or a vain attempt to define ourselves against the uncaring vastness of the universe.

From The Guardian • Jun. 1, 2013

Various other politicians continued to whistle in the dark but Mr. Morgenthau admitted that "we are doing considerable homework."

From Time Magazine Archive

Torak thought of her blowing that silent whistle in the dark.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

I heard him as he left me to visit his patients humming a lively tune; but I knew that he only did it, as boys whistle in the dark, to keep their courage up.

From Cora and The Doctor or Revelations of A Physician's Wife by Leslie, Madeline

He had heard curlew whistle in the dark and wondered whether the birds were as wild as they are in England.

From Wyndham's Pal by Bindloss, Harold