whistle for
To request or ask for with no chance of success.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“If you want a refund now, you can whistle for it.”
“He expected the company to pay for his mistake, but they told him he could whistle for it.”
“The debtor hoped the bank would forgive his massive loan, but the manager coldly informed him he could whistle for any such relief.”
- 01
bells and whistles
Extra features added for show rather than function; fancy additions or features.
- 02
blow the whistle
To disclose information to the public or to appropriate authorities concerning the illegal or socially harmful actions of a person or group, especially a corporation or government agency.
- 03
clean as a whistle
Very clean.
- 04
make pigs and whistles of
To ruin (something); to make a severe mess of (something).
- 05
not worth a whistle
Worthless or pointless.
- 06
wet one's whistle
To have a drink; to quench one's thirst.
- 07
whistle Dixie
To engage in idle conversational fantasies.
- 08
whistle in the dark
To speak of something despite having little knowledge of it.
Last updated August 10, 2026