will-o'-the-wisp Hear it!

will-o'-the-wisp definition

will·-o'-the-wisp (wil′ə t̸hə wisp′)

noun

  1. jack-o'-lantern (sense )
  2. any hope or goal that leads one on but is impossible to reach

Etymology: earlier Will with the wisp < Will (nickname for William) + wisp

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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