No Chance at All: Snowballs in Hell and Other Hilariously Impossible Odds ❄️🔥
Say That Again: Cliché Central
Ever found yourself in a situation where your chances of success were slimmer than a snowball’s chance in hell? Sure, you could say “it’s unlikely,” but where’s the fun in that?
Elusive Essentials:
- Definition: An emphatic way to assert that something is extremely unlikely or impossible.
- Related Terms: No way, fat chance, one in a million, more likely to find a needle in a haystack.
- Proverbs: “When pigs fly,” “Not in a month of Sundays,” “Hell will freeze over.”
Uses in Pop Culture
- Books: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams— improbabilities and the Improbability Drive.
- Movies: Dumb and Dumber— “So you’re telling me there’s a chance!”
- Songs: “Impossible” by Shontelle— all the things we should’ve done but we never did.
- Poetry: “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost— two roads diverged, and I took the one less traveled by (against the odds).
Humor-Filled Quote
“I’m not saying there’s no chance, I’m just saying, you have a better shot at finding Bigfoot riding a unicorn.”
Synonyms and Antonyms
- Synonyms: Not a prayer, slim to none, highly unlikely.
- Antonyms: Certainty, sure thing, highly likely.
Quiz Time 🧩
### Finish the idiom: "Not a snowball’s chance..."
- [x] In hell
- [ ] Under the sun
- [ ] On Jupiter
- [ ] Between raindrops
> **Explanation:** The correct idiom is "Not a snowball’s chance in hell," expressing extreme improbability.
### Which phrase signifies something is highly unlikely?
- [ ] A bird in the hand
- [ ] With bells on
- [x] When pigs fly
- [ ] On cloud nine
> **Explanation:** "When pigs fly" is used to indicate that something will never happen.
### True or False: The phrase "Not a hope in Hell" has been in use since the early 20th century.
- [x] True
- [ ] False
> **Explanation:** The phrase "Not a hope in Hell" has been cited since early 20th century literature.
### Which of these would be a symbol of extreme improbability?
- [ ] Rolling a double six
- [x] Seeing a flying pig
- [ ] Getting a sunburn in summer
- [ ] Catching a falling leaf
> **Explanation:** Seeing a flying pig symbolizes something so improbable it's virtually impossible.
### True or False: "A fat chance" means the same as "a slim chance."
- [x] True
- [ ] False
> **Explanation:** Despite being contradictory, both "a fat chance" and "a slim chance" actually mean the same thing: something unlikely to happen.
Author Notes:
Ima Storyteller, December 1, 2023
In life, the odds may not always be in your favor, but embrace the craziness; after all, isn’t the world’s unpredictability what makes it so exciting? Keep dreaming, even if it’s about snowballs and hellfire.
