Is 'Pie in the Sky' Just a Dream?
2024-10-06
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2On this program, we explore words and expressions in the English language.
3We give examples, notes on usage, and sometimes, we use them in short conversations.
4Today we talk about the sweet dish at the end of a meal -- the dessert.
5One of the most famous kinds of dessert is pie.
6With a buttery crust and sweet fillings like apple, berries, or banana cream, a well-made pie is a dreamy food, indeed.
7And that gives us the expression pie in the sky.
8Imagine a perfect pie coming down to you from the sky.
9That is like a dream. And a pie in the sky is a dream, too.
10Anything described as pie-in-the-sky is fun to daydream about but is very unlikely to happen.
11When we act in a pie-in-the-sky manner, we are being foolishly optimistic.
12Any industry or area of life can have pie-in-the-sky ideas.
13So, you can use this expression for different situations.
14In business, let's say a company has lost money for two straight years.
15But the company chief promised increased earnings in the coming year.
16Her claims, as they say, were simply pie in the sky.
17She had no business plan or data to support them.
18An unpublished writer may have pie-in-the-sky dreams about her book being turned into a multi-million dollar film project.
19A teacher may have pie-in-the-sky wishes that all his students complete their homework on time.
20Pies in the sky are empty promises or empty wishes.
21They are wishful thinking.
22They are as unlikely as tasty pies falling from the sky.
23American English has another similar expression: pipe dream.
24The expression is also used to describe a plan, hope, or wish that is highly unlikely to happen.
25However, this expression does not come from a tasty bakery.
26Word experts say it started in opium dens.
27Here, people would smoke opium in long pipes and then fall into a dreamlike state where nothing seemed real.
28Now let's hear two friends using the expressions pipe dream and pie in the sky.
29A: Hey, did you hear about Sarah? She's moving to Spain!
30B: Really? Last week, she told me she was having trouble paying her rent.
31A: Well, she told me this morning that she's moving to Madrid to open a bakery.
32B: Sarah? Open a bakery? That sounds like a total pie in the sky to me. She can't even make toast.
33A: You know, it sounded like a pipe dream when she told me. She didn't have details. Just a lot of dreamy talk.
34B: Well, if she wants to turn her pie-in-the-sky bakery dream into a reality, I'd advise her to do one thing first - learn how to bake.
35And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time, I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2On this program, we explore words and expressions in the English language. We give examples, notes on usage, and sometimes, we use them in short conversations. 3Today we talk about the sweet dish at the end of a meal -- the dessert. One of the most famous kinds of dessert is pie. With a buttery crust and sweet fillings like apple, berries, or banana cream, a well-made pie is a dreamy food, indeed. 4And that gives us the expression pie in the sky. 5Imagine a perfect pie coming down to you from the sky. That is like a dream. And a pie in the sky is a dream, too. 6Anything described as pie-in-the-sky is fun to daydream about but is very unlikely to happen. When we act in a pie-in-the-sky manner, we are being foolishly optimistic. 7Any industry or area of life can have pie-in-the-sky ideas. So, you can use this expression for different situations. 8In business, let's say a company has lost money for two straight years. But the company chief promised increased earnings in the coming year. Her claims, as they say, were simply pie in the sky. She had no business plan or data to support them. 9An unpublished writer may have pie-in-the-sky dreams about her book being turned into a multi-million dollar film project. 10A teacher may have pie-in-the-sky wishes that all his students complete their homework on time. 11Pies in the sky are empty promises or empty wishes. They are wishful thinking. They are as unlikely as tasty pies falling from the sky. 12American English has another similar expression: pipe dream. The expression is also used to describe a plan, hope, or wish that is highly unlikely to happen. 13However, this expression does not come from a tasty bakery. Word experts say it started in opium dens. Here, people would smoke opium in long pipes and then fall into a dreamlike state where nothing seemed real. 14Now let's hear two friends using the expressions pipe dream and pie in the sky. 15A: Hey, did you hear about Sarah? She's moving to Spain! 16B: Really? Last week, she told me she was having trouble paying her rent. 17A: Well, she told me this morning that she's moving to Madrid to open a bakery. 18B: Sarah? Open a bakery? That sounds like a total pie in the sky to me. She can't even make toast. 19A: You know, it sounded like a pipe dream when she told me. She didn't have details. Just a lot of dreamy talk. 20B: Well, if she wants to turn her pie-in-the-sky bakery dream into a reality, I'd advise her to do one thing first - learn how to bake. 21And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time, I'm Anna Matteo. 22Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 23_______________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25butter -n. a solid yellow fatty food made by churning milk or cream : buttery -adj. containing or spread with butter 26crust -n. the pastry shell of a pie 27foolishly -adv. having or showing a lack of good sense, judgment, or discretion 28optimistic -adj. feeling or showing hope for the future 29bakery -n. a place where bread, cakes, and pastry are made or sold 30opium -n. a bitter brownish addictive narcotic drug that consists of the dried latex obtained from immature seed capsules of the opium poppy 31den -n. a dirty run-down place in which people live or gather 32rent -n. money paid for the use of property : a periodic payment made by a tenant to the owner for the use of the owner's property 33We want to hear from you. Do you have similar expressions in your language? In the Comments section, you can also practice using any of the expressions from the story. Our comment policy is here.