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pipe dream

Pajarero

Member
Spanish - Spain
Hi everybody, I'd like to know if the expression "it is a pipe dream" or "it is only a pipe dream" is informal. Could I use it in a written text or in a presentation?
Thanks in advance.
Yes, but it's a risky buisiness my saying yes, when I don't know the context you had in mind. We like a bit of context here.
Thanks a lot, Beryl.
I am writing a presentation on green politics and I want to make a reference to the unlikely prospects of the emergence of an ecological state at the moment. I have used several times the word 'illusory' and I don't like to repeat it again. The presentation will take place in a conference on politics, in the University.
All the best,
Pajarero. It would be wise to post a complete sentence to show how you intend to use this phrase - it certainly seems a wholly appropriate phrase to include in a presentation on green politics, but you might want to check that your usage is correct.
Hi Andygc, thanks for your answer. The complete sentence is:

'Quite the contrary, neo-liberalism has prevailed all over the world, and therefore it seems that nowadays the emergence of an ecofascist regime controlled by ecocentric communitarians, after the triumph of a green party in a general election, is only a pipe dream.'
That implies to me that you are suggesting that the emergence of an ecofascist regime after the triumph of a green party is a desirable outcome. The idiom pipe dream is more usually used where the outcome is desirable or wished-for. "The idea that wind generation can ever meet a nation's energy needs is nothing but a pipe dream".

Of course, if part of your argument is that ecofascism is a good thing, then pipe dream could be appropriate.
Hi Andygc, and thanks for your answer, because this kind of nuances cannot be found in dictionaries and I don't think that ecofascism is a desirable outcome!!
I only want to refer to the idea that it is very unlikely that this kind of ecofascist state is going to appear, provided the success of liberal-democratic states around the world. Is the word 'illusory' used in the same way?
All the best,
Note that the image behind the phrase is the illusory dream produced by smoking a pipe of opium. As a result, thoughtless use of the phrase can produce some very unfortunate or awkward statements (e.g., "It is a pipe dream to imagine that drug use is not a serious problem in our schools.") If a reference to drug-induced hallucinations is inappropriate in your sentence, you do not want to use this phrase.
Is the word 'illusory' used in the same way?
No, illusory does not have any positive/negative meaning for me. I don't think it fits your sentence, so I will wander off topic by suggesting that you might perhaps rewrite it.

'Quite the contrary, neo-liberalism has prevailed all over the world, and therefore it seems that there is now no realistic prospect of the emergence of an ecofascist regime controlled by ecocentric communitarians, after the triumph of a green party in a general election, is only a pipe dream.'

However, that is a very long sentence for an oral presentation, so I suggest that you reconsider how you intend to make your point.

I can't make any more suggestions - that would go way off topic for pipe dream, and we don't proof read here.
If a reference to drug-induced hallucinations is inappropriate in your sentence, you do not want to use this phrase.
I don't think we have such a narrow approach to this phrase in BE - pipe dream is a commonly used metaphor and rarely, if ever, with any thought as to its origin.
Thanks for your help, I will take into account your advices and rewrite the sentence as Andygc has suggested.
All the best,
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