until hell freezes over


until hell freezes over

1. Forever. "Till" can be used instead of "until." Financially, I'll never be able to retire—I'll be working till hell freezes over.2. Used to indicate that something will never happen. "Till" can be used instead of "until." I refuse to name Bob the head of this company until hell freezes over!See also: freeze, hell, over, until

till hell freezes over

Inf. forever. (Use caution with hell.) That's all right, boss; I can wait till hell freezes over for your answer. I'll be here till hell freezes over.See also: freeze, hell, over, till

till hell freezes over

Forever, as in They said they'd go on searching till hell freezes over, but I'm sure they'll give up soon . This hyperbolic expression dates from the early 1900s. So does its antonym, not till hell freezes over, meaning "never," as in I'm not giving in, not until hell freezes over. See also: freeze, hell, over, till

until hell freezes over

1. If you say that something will not happen until hell freezes over, you mean that it will never happen. McLean pledged he would not sell the business to him until hell freezes over. Note: You can also say that something will happen when hell freezes over. `Tell them you'll get married when hell freezes over,' she says.2. If someone will do something until hell freezes over, they will do it for a very long time or for ever. He says he'll sit there until hell freezes over before he'll pay them a single dollar. They can bargain until Hell freezes over, but they won't get anything.See also: freeze, hell, over, until

until (or till) hell freezes over

for an extremely long time or forever. informalSee also: freeze, hell, over, until

till hell freezes over

mod. forever. (Use caution with hell.) That’s all right, boss; I can wait till hell freezes over for your answer. See also: freeze, hell, over, till

till hell freezes over

Forever, endlessly. This hyperbole, like not a hope in hell, dates from the early twentieth century, first appearing in print about 1919. F. Scott Fitzgerald reportedly liked ending a letter with, “Yours till hell freezes over,” and A. A. Fair used it in Stop at the Red Light (1962): “They’ll investigate until hell freezes over.” During the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Adlai Stevenson, asked the Soviet ambassador if his country had placed missiles in Cuba and said, “. . . I am prepared to wait for my answer until hell freezes over” (Oct. 25, 1962). The negative version, not till hell freezes over, means, of course, “never.”See also: freeze, hell, over, till