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Reader question: Please explain “pie in the sky” in this sentence: A fast train linking east coast with the west coast remains “pie in the sky”. My comments: East coast of America and the west? Are we talking about a bullet train linking Portland by the Pacific to New York City on the Atlantic? That’s a lot of ground to cover, some 3,000 miles in distance. If it’s in the works, which I’m not aware of, it’ll be a lot of work, to say the least. If it remains “pie in the sky”, as our above example says it does, then it’s only an idea, and an unrealistic one at that. In other words, it’s not happening and unlikely to happen in any foreseeable future. “Pie in the sky”, you see, is literally a windfall. Windfall? Yeah, any object falling from the sky due to, yes, strong gusts of wind. Apples and pears, for example, sometimes fall off the tree after a rainstorm. Pie? Food, actually? Well, during a hurricane, perhaps. Even then, it’s a rare occurrence, of course. As a kid, I was excited to once see a broken kite fall into our school yard – we re-papered it up and let it fly! Hurrah! That’s the best windfall I’ve ever had. I’ve never seen an apple pie or anything like that fall from the sky. Hence, you see, a pie in the sky is something unrealistic, an extremely rare occurrence insofar as natural phenomenons are concerned. As a metaphor, on the other hand, pie in the sky is more understandable, standing for a dream, a fantasy or any other idea. | 
