whistle past the graveyard

[ wis-uhl past thuh greyv-yahrd, hwis- ]

idiom

1. to pretend to be calm, cheerful, and confident in an effort to reassure oneself or others; deny or ignore a threat or problem:

   I'm holding out hope that we can win this lawsuit, but I might be just whistling past the graveyard.

   The CEO’s press release reads like a hasty attempt to soothe nervous shareholders, combined with a hint of whistling past the graveyard.