Pie in the sky

Meaning

"Pie in the sky" describes a plan, promise or dream that sounds wonderful but will almost certainly never happen. Think of a delicious pie floating in the clouds: lovely to look at, impossible to reach. It comes from an old protest song that mocked promises of rewards "in the sky" instead of fair pay now.

You can use it as a noun ("That's pie in the sky") or as an adjective, often with hyphens in writing: "a pie-in-the-sky idea".

It's informal but perfectly usable at work, and people say it in meetings all the time. It's a criticism, though, and a little dismissive, so soften it when you're talking about a colleague's idea: "This might be a bit pie in the sky, but..." or "I like it, but the timeline feels pie in the sky." Saying "Your plan is pie in the sky" to someone's face is blunt.