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Dixie

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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.

See also: Dixie, just, not, whistle

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.

See also: Dixie, just

be whistling Dixie

  (American informal)

to talk in a way that makes things seem better than they really are (usually negative) We're really making money these days and I'm not just whistling Dixie.

See also: Dixie, whistle

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

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.

See also: Dixie, just, not, whistle

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