pipe dream
noun/ˈpaɪp driːm/UK/ˈpaɪp ˌdrim/US
Etymology
From pipe + dream, referring to the fantasies experienced when smoking an opium pipe. Compare Old English pīpdrēam (“the sound or music of a pipe”), which is formed identically but has a different meaning.
Definitions
A desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work
A desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work; a near impossibility.
- I think that his plan to become a professional athlete is a pipe dream and that he should stay in school.
- Only a year ago it would have needed a "super-Micawber" to be optimistic that the railways would once again pay their way. But it was no longer a pipe dream that B.R. could make a profit, the way to do it was now clear.
The neighborhood
Vish — recursive loop
No curated loop yet for pipe dream. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.
sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA