The idea of something being utterly impossible or unlikely to occur is a concept that idioms capture with wit, humor, and vivid imagery, adding a colorful twist to conversations about unattainable dreams, unrealistic plans, or outright impossibilities. These phrases use metaphors, hyperbole, and clever expressions to convey the absolute unlikelihood of an event, making discussions about futile endeavors or far-fetched ideas more engaging, relatable, and often amusing. In this definitive listicle, we’ll explore 43 idioms that mean “never going to happen,” unpack their meanings, and illustrate how they can inject a dose of reality with a touch of flair into your conversations. Let’s dive into this collection of idioms and put those pipe dreams to rest with the power of language!
What is an Idiom for Never Going to Happen?
Idioms for “never going to happen” are figurative expressions that emphasize the impossibility or extreme unlikelihood of an event, plan, or outcome, using imagery and metaphor to convey a sense of finality or futility. These phrases make conversations about unrealistic expectations, doomed proposals, or improbable scenarios more expressive, relatable, and often laced with humor or skepticism, whether you’re dismissing a wild idea or tempering someone’s overconfidence. Each idiom below is explained with its meaning and brought to life with a long, illustrative sentence to show its use in context:
Idioms for Never Going to Happen
1. When Pigs Fly
Meaning: Something that will never happen, as pigs cannot fly.
In a Sentence: He thought he could convince the board to fund his untested project, but they told him it would happen when pigs fly, firmly rejecting the idea as utterly impractical and destined to fail.
2. Over My Dead Body
Meaning: Absolutely not, indicating strong opposition to an idea.
In a Sentence: She declared that selling the family farm would happen over her dead body, her fierce determination ensuring the land remained untouched despite developers’ persistent offers.
3. Snowball’s Chance in Hell
Meaning: No chance at all, as a snowball would melt in hell.
In a Sentence: His plan to win the race without training had a snowball’s chance in hell, the sheer impossibility of success clear to everyone as he struggled to even reach the starting line.
4. When Hell Freezes Over
Meaning: An event so unlikely it would require an impossible condition.
In a Sentence: They said they’d reconcile their feud when hell freezes over, their deep-seated animosity making any chance of peace as improbable as ice forming in the fiery depths.
5. Not in a Million Years
Meaning: Absolutely never, emphasizing an immense time frame.
In a Sentence: She scoffed that she’d agree to the risky merger not in a million years, her unwavering stance rooted in the certainty that the deal would lead to financial ruin for the company.
6. Don’t Hold Your Breath
Meaning: Don’t expect it to happen anytime soon, if ever.
In a Sentence: He was told not to hold his breath for the promotion, as the company’s rigid hierarchy made it clear that such an opportunity was far beyond his reach in the foreseeable future.
7. Fat Chance
Meaning: Very little or no chance of occurring.
In a Sentence: There was a fat chance of him finishing the marathon without preparation, his lack of training ensuring that crossing the finish line was a fantasy far removed from reality.
8. Not a Hope in Hades
Meaning: No possibility at all, referencing the underworld.
In a Sentence: The idea of securing funding for the experimental project had not a hope in Hades, with investors dismissing it as a pipe dream lacking any viable path to profitability.
9. Like Herding Cats
Meaning: An impossible task due to its chaotic nature.
In a Sentence: Getting the entire team to agree on a single plan was like herding cats, the impossibility of consensus evident as each member pursued their own agenda, dooming the effort.
10. When the Cows Come Home
Meaning: Never or an indefinitely long time.
In a Sentence: He could wait until the cows come home for her to change her mind, but her resolute refusal to compromise made it clear that her decision was final and unshakable.
11. A Pipe Dream
Meaning: An unrealistic or unattainable fantasy.
In a Sentence: His vision of becoming a billionaire overnight was a pipe dream, the sheer improbability of instant wealth underscored by his lack of a concrete plan or resources.
12. Chasing Rainbows
Meaning: Pursuing an unattainable or illusory goal.
In a Sentence: She was chasing rainbows by hoping to revolutionize the industry without funding, her lofty ambitions crashing against the hard reality of limited resources and fierce competition.
13. Barking Up the Wrong Tree
Meaning: Mistaking the approach or target, leading to failure.
In a Sentence: He was barking up the wrong tree thinking the strict manager would approve his unconventional proposal, the idea doomed from the start due to its misalignment with company goals.
14. Not in This Lifetime
Meaning: Absolutely never, within one’s lifetime.
In a Sentence: The rival companies merging was not in this lifetime, their deep-rooted competition and conflicting visions making any partnership as unlikely as day turning into night.
15. Pie in the Sky
Meaning: An unrealistic or overly optimistic hope.
In a Sentence: His plan to solve world hunger with a single app was pie in the sky, its grandiose ambition far outstripping the practical realities of implementation and global cooperation.
16. Castles in the Air
Meaning: Impractical or fanciful dreams.
In a Sentence: Her dreams of launching a global charity with no experience were castles in the air, their lofty nature collapsing under the weight of logistical and financial impossibilities.
17. No Way, José
Meaning: A firm refusal, indicating impossibility.
In a Sentence: When he suggested skipping the rigorous testing phase, the engineer replied, “No way, José,” knowing that such a shortcut would lead to catastrophic failure of the critical project.
18. In Your Dreams
Meaning: Something that only happens in fantasy, not reality.
In a Sentence: He thought he could charm his way into the exclusive club, but she told him it was in his dreams, the strict membership rules ensuring his hopes were nothing but wishful thinking.
19. Not on Your Life
Meaning: Absolutely not, under any circumstances.
In a Sentence: She said sharing her secret recipe was not on her life, her firm stance protecting the family tradition from ever being replicated, no matter how much others pleaded.
20. When the Moon Turns Blue
Meaning: An extremely rare or impossible event.
In a Sentence: They’d agree to the outrageous contract terms when the moon turns blue, their refusal rooted in the certainty that such conditions would never align with their interests.
21. A Fool’s Errand
Meaning: A task doomed to fail from the start.
In a Sentence: Trying to convince the stubborn council to change the law was a fool’s errand, the entrenched opposition making success as unlikely as moving a mountain with a spoon.
22. Beat a Dead Horse
Meaning: Pursuing a hopeless or already settled matter.
In a Sentence: He kept pushing for the rejected proposal, but it was like beating a dead horse, the board’s final decision ensuring the idea would never see the light of day.
23. Mission Impossible
Meaning: A task that is completely unachievable.
In a Sentence: Launching the startup with no capital or experience was mission impossible, the insurmountable barriers of funding and expertise dooming the venture before it even began.
24. Dead in the Water
Meaning: A plan or idea that has no chance of succeeding.
In a Sentence: The campaign to revive the outdated product was dead in the water, its lack of market appeal ensuring it would never gain traction despite the team’s enthusiastic efforts.
25. Never in a Blue Moon
Meaning: Extremely rare or unlikely to happen.
In a Sentence: She’d forgive his betrayal never in a blue moon, her deep hurt making reconciliation as improbable as a celestial event occurring in her lifetime.
26. Off the Table
Meaning: No longer an option or possibility.
In a Sentence: Expanding the project without additional funding was off the table, the strict budget constraints making it clear that such ambitions were entirely out of reach for the team.
27. Out of the Question
Meaning: Completely impossible or unacceptable.
In a Sentence: Taking a vacation during the critical phase was out of the question, her indispensable role ensuring that leaving was as unthinkable as halting the entire operation.
28. Bucking a Dead Horse
Meaning: Wasting effort on a hopeless cause.
In a Sentence: He was bucking a dead horse trying to revive the obsolete technology, its irrelevance in the modern market making success as unattainable as turning back time.
29. Don’t Bet on It
Meaning: It’s highly unlikely to happen.
In a Sentence: He thought the old car would win the race, but she told him not to bet on it, the vehicle’s poor condition making victory as improbable as a turtle outrunning a hare.
30. No Dice
Meaning: No chance or refusal of a possibility.
In a Sentence: His request for a budget increase was met with no dice, the finance team’s strict limits ensuring that extra funds were as unattainable as finding gold in a desert.
31. Dream On
Meaning: A sarcastic dismissal of an unrealistic hope.
In a Sentence: He believed he could skip rehearsals and still star in the play, but the director told him to dream on, the rigorous standards making such a scenario utterly impossible.
32. Not a Chance
Meaning: Absolutely no possibility.
In a Sentence: There was not a chance she’d agree to the unfair deal, her strong principles ensuring that compromising her values was as unlikely as the sun rising in the west.
33. Til the Cows Come Home
Meaning: Forever or never, implying indefinite delay.
In a Sentence: He could argue his case til the cows come home, but the judge’s ruling was final, making any chance of reversal as improbable as waiting for livestock to wander back.
34. When the Stars Align
Meaning: Only if extremely rare conditions are met.
In a Sentence: They’d fund the risky venture only when the stars align, the investors’ caution ensuring that perfect conditions were as unlikely as a cosmic event falling into place.
35. Cold Day in Hell
Meaning: An impossible or highly unlikely event.
In a Sentence: It would be a cold day in hell before she’d work with her rival, their bitter history making collaboration as improbable as ice forming in the infernal underworld.
36. Not in Your Wildest Dreams
Meaning: Completely unimaginable or impossible.
In a Sentence: He thought he could lead the project without experience, but she said not in his wildest dreams, the complexity of the task far beyond his untrained capabilities.
37. Knocking on the Wrong Door
Meaning: Approaching the wrong source for success.
In a Sentence: He was knocking on the wrong door asking the intern for approval, the decision firmly in the hands of executives who saw his idea as an unfeasible fantasy.
38. Spinning Your Wheels
Meaning: Wasting effort on something that won’t succeed.
In a Sentence: Trying to sell the outdated software was spinning their wheels, the market’s disinterest ensuring that success was as unattainable as convincing fish to climb trees.
39. Going Nowhere Fast
Meaning: Making no progress toward an impossible goal.
In a Sentence: His campaign to ban all technology was going nowhere fast, the modern world’s reliance on devices making his goal as unachievable as stopping the tides.
40. Up in Smoke
Meaning: A plan or hope that fails completely.
In a Sentence: His dream of a quick fortune went up in smoke, the risky investment collapsing and proving that such wealth was as unattainable as capturing a cloud.
41. Flogging a Dead Horse
Meaning: Persisting with a hopeless endeavor.
In a Sentence: She was flogging a dead horse by pushing the flawed policy, its rejection by the committee ensuring that further efforts were as futile as reviving a lost cause.
42. Not Worth the Paper It’s Written On
Meaning: A plan or promise with no value or likelihood.
In a Sentence: The contract’s promises were not worth the paper they were written on, their unrealistic terms making fulfillment as impossible as building a skyscraper overnight.
43. When Donkeys Fly
Meaning: An absurdly impossible event.
In a Sentence: He’d get her to agree to the impractical plan when donkeys fly, her logical objections ensuring that such a scenario was as fantastical as animals taking to the skies.
Quizzes About The Idioms in The Article
Quiz 1: When Pigs Fly
What does the idiom “When pigs fly” mean?
a) Something that might happen soon
b) Something that will never happen
c) A likely event
d) A common occurrence
Quiz 2: Snowball’s Chance in Hell
What is the meaning of “Snowball’s chance in hell”?
a) A good opportunity
b) No chance at all
c) A probable outcome
d) A small effort
Quiz 3: Over My Dead Body
When someone says, “Over my dead body,” what are they emphasizing?
a) Strong support for an idea
b) Absolute opposition to an idea
c) Uncertainty about an outcome
d) Willingness to compromise
Quiz 4: Not in a Million Years
What does the idiom “Not in a million years” suggest?
a) A likely possibility
b) Absolutely never
c) A short-term plan
d) A frequent event
Quiz 5: Pipe Dream
What situation is described by the idiom “Pipe dream”?
a) A realistic goal
b) An unrealistic or unattainable fantasy
c) A successful plan
d) A common ambition
Quiz 6: Chasing Rainbows
If someone is “chasing rainbows,” what does it mean?
a) Pursuing a realistic goal
b) Pursuing an unattainable or illusory goal
c) Avoiding ambition
d) Achieving success
Quiz 7: Don’t Hold Your Breath
What does the expression “Don’t hold your breath” imply?
a) Expect it to happen soon
b) Don’t expect it to happen anytime soon, if ever
c) Be optimistic about the outcome
d) Act quickly to achieve it
Quiz 8: Fat Chance
When is it appropriate to say, “Fat chance”?
a) When something is very likely
b) When there is very little or no chance
c) When success is guaranteed
d) When effort is minimal
Quiz 9: No Way, José
What is the meaning of “No way, José”?
a) A firm refusal, indicating impossibility
b) An enthusiastic agreement
c) A cautious approval
d) A neutral response
Quiz 10: When Hell Freezes Over
When someone says “When hell freezes over,” what are they encouraging you to do?
a) Expect an event soon
b) Recognize an event as highly unlikely
c) Plan for a likely outcome
d) Ignore the possibility
Answers:
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- a
- b
Conclusion
Idioms for “never going to happen” are like verbal stop signs, delivering a dose of reality with humor, skepticism, and vivid imagery that make conversations about impossible dreams or futile efforts more lively and expressive. Whether you’re dismissing a plan as a pipe dream, scoffing that it’ll happen when pigs fly, or declaring it not in a million years, these phrases add a sharp and relatable touch to discussions about the unattainable. So, the next time someone floats an outlandish idea or clings to a hopeless cause, sprinkle in a few of these idioms to ground the conversation with wit and clarity!