See Till Hell Freezes Over
Definition: To wait for an indefinite or extremely long period of time for something that is unlikely to happen.
Related Terms:
- Until the cows come home
- When pigs fly
- Not in a month of Sundays
- Until the twelfth of never
Synonyms:
- Never
- Very unlikely
- When hell freezes over
- In your dreams
Antonyms:
- Soon
- Shortly
- Without delay
- Any moment now
Humor-filled Quotes: “Don’t hold your breath waiting on me to decide; you’ll turn as blue as the ice in the hell you think I’m freezing!” — I. M. Cleverclogs
Proverbs and Expressions:
- “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
- “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”
- “Don’t hold your breath.”
References:
- Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett — A quintessential read about waiting for something that seems perpetually out of reach.
- Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman — A fantastical novel about an underground London that’s almost as unreachable as hell freezing over.
- “When Hell Freezes Over” by Eagles (Song) — A rock classic exploring the concept implicitly.
Which one of these idioms means “to wait for something never likely to happen?”
- Till hell freezes over
- Dancing with spaghetti mountains
- Skiing in the Sahara
- Gardening on the moon
Explanation: “Till hell freezes over” is the right answer, meaning waiting for something that is improbable or would take forever.
Which phrase is commonly understood?
- Not in a month of Sundays
- Counting icicles on the sun
- Running with the wolves on Mars
- Biking uphill on Saturn’s rings
Explanation: “Not in a month of Sundays” means something that will never happen, much like “till hell freezes over.”
True or False: ‘Till hell freezes over’ implies something will happen soon.
- True
- False
Explanation: The phrase means something isn’t going to happen anytime soon, if at all!
Remember, the next time someone says they’ll do something “till hell freezes over,” it might be a good idea to find another option.
Final Thought: And thus, dear reader, from the impossible realms of frozen underworlds, venture boldly and let not the unlikely deter you. For in words and dreams, the most fantastical may just come true.
Yours in everlasting wit, I. M. Cleverclogs
