whistle in the dark

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU):

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Verb

whistle in the dark

1. (colloquial) To make a show of bravery despite one's fears; to put on a brave front.
   • 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

Translations

make a show of bravery

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 壮胆 (zh) (zhuàngdǎn)

• Finnish: vislailla
• French: please add this translation if you can
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: im Dunkeln pfeifen
• 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:
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: please add this translation if you can:
• 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