# pie in the sky

Pronunciation: say "PY in thuh SKY" /ˈpaɪ ɪn ðə ˈskaɪ/

## Idiom

1. A fanciful, unrealistic, or ludicrous idea, or the illusory promise of a hoped-for outcome that is unlikely ever to happen.
   - Simple: A silly or unrealistic idea, or a promise of something good that will probably never happen.
   - _Voters are tired of politicians who offer pie in the sky instead of a workable budget._
   - _Her plan to retire at thirty on a teacher's salary struck her friends as pie in the sky._

## Idiom · pie-in-the-sky

2. Describing a dream, goal, or scheme that is impractical, out of touch with reality, and unlikely ever to come true.
   - Simple: Describes a dream or plan that is not practical and will probably never come true.
   - _Critics dismissed the senator's pie-in-the-sky promises of free college with no new taxes._
   - _The investors liked the team but found its plan to replace every city bus within a year too pie-in-the-sky to fund._

## Origin

**Meaning 2** — This use comes from the noun "pie in the sky."
**Meaning 1** — From Joe Hill's 1911 labor song "The Preacher and the Slave", a parody of the hymn "In the Sweet By-and-By" mocking promises of reward in heaven: "You'll get pie in the sky when you die."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/pie-in-the-sky (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).