Etymology

pipe dream

Today it means: A desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work; a near impossibility. Full definition →

First used late 19th c.
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The story

From pipe + dream, referring to the fantasies experienced when smoking an opium pipe. Compare Old English pīpdrēam (“the sound or music of a pipe”), which is formed identically but has a different meaning.

First known use, by meaning

  • from late 19th c. A desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work; a near impossibility.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.