whistle past the graveyard
The idiom "whistle past the graveyard" is used primarily in the United States to describe maintaining a facade of calm or confidence in the face of danger or uncertainty.
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🇬🇧 UK Voice:
Definition
C1General
(informal, idiomatic)To act cheerful or confident in a dangerous or uncertain situation to reassure oneself or others.
Example
- Despite the looming deadline, she decided to whistle past the graveyard and take a long lunch break.
- He was clearly nervous about the interview, but he whistled past the graveyard, joking and laughing with his friends.
C1General
(informal, idiomatic)To ignore or downplay potential risks or dangers while continuing with an activity.
Example
- Investors whistled past the graveyard, ignoring the warning signs of the market crash.
- She knew the project was risky, but she whistled past the graveyard and moved forward with it anyway.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "whistle past the graveyard":
whistle in the darkwhistle down the windsail close to the wind