whistling past the graveyard
Pretending away dread
Whistling past the graveyard is pretending confidence or cheerfulness to mask fear or anxiety—like someone walking through a cemetery at night, whistling to convince themselves (and whatever might be listening) that they're not afraid.
The phrase suggests denial or forced optimism in the face of real danger: The company's rosy earnings forecast feels like whistling past the graveyard.
- self-deceptionConvincing yourself of falsehoods
- delusionStubbornly held false belief
- illusoryFalsely appearing to exist
- existential dreadTerror at meaningless being
- burying one's head in the sandIgnoring obvious problems deliberately
head in the sand · memento mori · compartmentalization · turning a blind eye · looking away · resilience · rationalization · putting on a brave face · stiff upper lip · overcompensation · skin of your teeth · suppression · denial · playing it cool · distraction · humor · optimism · tombstone
whistling past the graveyardunflinching resolve
Absolute commitment despite hardship
grace under pressure · sangfroid · equanimity · cold comfort
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