Quick Answer
Idioms for “never going to happen” are colorful expressions used to describe situations, events, or outcomes that are considered completely impossible, highly unlikely, or utterly hopeless often in a humorous, sarcastic, or dramatic wayExamples: when pigs fly, fat chance, not in a million years
We all encounter situations where something seems absolutely impossible. Maybe a stubborn person will never change their mind, or a dream feels completely out of reach. Instead of saying the plain and forgettable “that’s never going to happen,” English gives us a rich collection of idioms that carry real weight, humor, and emotion.
When someone says “that’ll happen when pigs fly” or “you’ve got a snowball’s chance in hell,” the meaning lands instantly and memorably. These phrases don’t just communicate impossibility they add personality, tone, and intensity that plain language simply cannot.
Whether you are trying to express disbelief, shut down an unrealistic expectation, or simply add color to your everyday speech, idioms for impossibility are some of the most entertaining and useful expressions in the English language.
In this guide, you will learn:
Powerful idioms for “never going to happen
Real meanings and situations where each is used
Formal, casual, and creative examples
Practical tips for using them naturally and confidently
Let us explore the most expressive idioms that capture the idea of pure impossibility.
Quick Summary Table
| Situation | Idioms |
|---|---|
| Complete impossibility | When pigs fly, Not in a million years |
| Very low chances | Fat chance, Slim to none |
| Hopeless situations | Snowball’s chance in hell, Pipe dream |
| Sarcastic refusals | Cold day in hell, Dream on |
| Unrealistic expectations | Waiting for a miracle, Tilting at windmills |
Idioms for Total and Complete Impossibility
Some situations are not just unlikely they are completely, absolutely, and definitively impossible.
1. When Pigs Fly
This is perhaps the most well-known idiom for expressing that something will never happen under any circumstances.
Meaning: Something that will never occur because it is completely impossible
When People Use It: Responding to unrealistic requests or outrageous expectations
Alternative Expression: Never in a million years
Examples:
Formal: The two rival companies will merge when pigs fly.
Casual: Sure, he’ll apologize when pigs fly.
Creative: The skies would fill with oinking wings before that day ever came.
2. Not in a Million Years
A strong and dramatic idiom that emphasizes the complete impossibility of something happening within any imaginable timeframe.
Meaning: Absolutely never, no matter how long one waits
When People Use It: Rejecting something firmly or expressing total disbelief
Alternative Expression: Never ever
Examples:
Formal: Not in a million years would that proposal be accepted by the board.
Casual: Would I ever eat that? Not in a million years.
Creative: Even if time stretched endlessly, that moment would never come.
3. Hell Freezes Over
A vivid and dramatic idiom referring to something that will never happen because it would require an impossible natural event.
Meaning: Something that will simply never occur
When People Use It: When making a strong, dramatic statement of impossibility
Alternative Expression: When pigs fly
Examples:
Formal: That policy will change when hell freezes over.
Casual: He’ll clean his room when hell freezes over.
Creative: They were waiting for ice to form in places that had never known cold.
Usage Insight: These idioms work best when you want to make a firm, final statement. They carry a tone of certainty and often a hint of sarcasm.
Idioms for Very Low or Almost Zero Chances
Not everything is absolutely impossible but some things come dangerously close to it.
4. Fat Chance
Despite the word “fat” suggesting something large, this idiom sarcastically means the opposite there is almost no chance at all.
Meaning: Very little or no chance of something happening
When People Use It: Sarcastic responses to hopeful or unrealistic ideas
Alternative Expression: No way
Examples:
Formal: Fat chance the committee will approve this last-minute request.
Casual: Fat chance he’s going to win that argument.
Creative: Hope hung thin in the air, like a thread about to snap.
5. Slim to None
This idiom describes a situation where the probability of something happening is extremely low, bordering on zero.
Meaning: Almost no possibility
When People Use It: Realistic assessment of unlikely outcomes
Alternative Expression: Barely possible
Examples:
Formal: The chances of reaching an agreement are slim to none.
Casual: His odds of passing without studying are slim to none.
Creative: The gap between possibility and reality had almost disappeared entirely.
6. Not a Chance in the World
A sweeping idiom that rules out any possibility across the entirety of existence.
Meaning: Absolutely no chance whatsoever
When People Use It: Emphatic rejections or strong disbelief
Alternative Expression: Absolutely not
Examples:
Formal: There is not a chance in the world that deal would be completed on time.
Casual: Not a chance in the world I’m doing that.
Creative: Even if every star aligned, the outcome would remain the same impossible.
Memory Tip: Think of these idioms as measuring tools they show just how far from possible something truly is.
Idioms for Hopeless Situations
Sometimes people hold onto hopes that are not just unlikely but genuinely hopeless from the start.
7. Snowball’s Chance in Hell
One of the most expressive and vivid idioms in English, describing a situation where the outcome is not just unlikely but almost comically impossible.
Meaning: Virtually no chance of success or occurrence
When People Use It: Describing hopeless situations or near-impossible outcomes
Alternative Expression: No hope whatsoever
Examples:
Formal: The underfunded startup had a snowball’s chance in hell of competing with industry giants.
Casual: He’s got a snowball’s chance in hell of getting that job.
Creative: The small idea was thrown into a blazing world that would never let it survive.
8. Pipe Dream
This idiom describes a hope or plan that is so unrealistic it belongs more in a fantasy than in real life.
Meaning: An unrealistic or impossible ambition or hope
When People Use It: When dismissing overly optimistic or impractical plans
Alternative Expression: Fantasy, wishful thinking
Examples:
Formal: Expecting a full recovery in one week is nothing but a pipe dream.
Casual: Becoming a billionaire by next year? That’s a pipe dream.
Creative: She kept building castles in a sky that would never hold them.
9. Chasing the Wind
A poetic and meaningful idiom that describes the futile pursuit of something that can never be caught or achieved.
Meaning: Pursuing something that is impossible to obtain
When People Use It: When someone is wasting time on hopeless goals
Alternative Expression: A lost cause
Examples:
Formal: Expecting perfection from every employee is like chasing the wind.
Casual: You’re just chasing the wind with that plan.
Creative: His ambitions ran ahead of him, always just beyond reach.
Usage Insight: These idioms are particularly useful when you want to gently but clearly tell someone that their hope is not realistic.
Idioms for Sarcastic Refusals and Dismissals
Sometimes “never going to happen” is less about logic and more about attitude. These idioms carry humor, sarcasm, and a confident dismissal.
10. Dream On
A sharp and sarcastic idiom used to dismiss someone’s wishful thinking with a tone of disbelief.
Meaning: What you are hoping for will not happen
When People Use It: Rejecting outrageous requests or unrealistic expectations
Alternative Expression: Keep wishing
Examples:
Formal: If they expect a full refund at this stage, they can dream on.
Casual: You think he’ll say sorry? Dream on.
Creative: He offered the universe to someone who was fast asleep.
11. Cold Day in Hell
Similar to “hell freezes over,” this idiom implies that something is so unlikely it would require an impossible transformation of reality.
Meaning: Something that will never happen
When People Use It: Expressing strong, final refusals or disbelief
Alternative Expression: Never going to happen
Examples:
Formal: It will be a cold day in hell before that legislation passes.
Casual: It’ll be a cold day in hell before I apologize first.
Creative: The world would have to flip entirely before that moment arrived.
12. Don’t Hold Your Breath
A practical and widely used idiom that warns someone not to wait eagerly for something that is very unlikely to happen.
Meaning: Do not expect this to happen; do not wait for it
When People Use It: Managing unrealistic expectations
Alternative Expression: Don’t get your hopes up
Examples:
Formal: If you are waiting for a response from them by Friday, don’t hold your breath.
Casual: Don’t hold your breath waiting for him to change.
Creative: She learned to breathe freely instead of saving air for a moment that never came.
Pro Tip: Sarcastic idioms work well in casual conversation but require careful tone control use them where the relationship and context allow for light humor.
Idioms for Unrealistic Expectations and Wishful Thinking
Many impossible situations are born not from reality, but from imagination, hope, or denial.
13. Tilting at Windmills
Borrowed from the famous literary character Don Quixote, this idiom describes the act of fighting against imaginary enemies or pursuing completely unrealistic goals.
Meaning: Wasting energy fighting battles that cannot be won or chasing goals that do not exist
When People Use It: When someone is putting effort into something truly pointless
Alternative Expression: Fighting a losing battle
Examples:
Formal: Expecting that outdated system to perform like modern software is tilting at windmills.
Casual: You’re totally tilting at windmills with that idea.
Creative: He charged bravely into battles that existed only in his own mind.
14. Waiting for a Miracle
An idiom that highlights the gap between hope and reality when someone is counting on something extraordinary that is not realistically coming.
Meaning: Hoping for an outcome that has no logical basis for happening
When People Use It: When someone is passively waiting instead of taking action
Alternative Expression: Wishful thinking
Examples:
Formal: Without a revised strategy, the team is simply waiting for a miracle.
Casual: You’re just waiting for a miracle at this point.
Creative: Days passed as she stared at a horizon that kept its distance.
15. Castles in the Air
A beautifully poetic idiom describing dreams or plans that have no real foundation existing only in the imagination.
Meaning: Plans or dreams with no realistic basis
When People Use It: Describing impractical thinking or daydreaming
Alternative Expression: Pipe dream, wishful thinking
Examples:
Formal: The expansion plan was nothing but castles in the air without proper funding.
Casual: All his big talks are just castles in the air.
Creative: Beautiful and tall, they stood nowhere unsupported by anything real.
16. Grasping at Straws
This idiom describes the desperate attempt to hold onto hope or a solution when there are clearly none available.
Meaning: Making desperate attempts when success is nearly impossible
When People Use It: When someone is clearly out of real options
Alternative Expression: Reaching for nothing
Examples:
Formal: At this stage of the project, revising the timeline is merely grasping at straws.
Casual: You’re just grasping at straws if you think that’ll work.
Creative: His hands reached out and found nothing but air.
Memory Tip: Picture someone literally building a floating castle or grabbing thin pieces of straw the image makes the meaning unforgettable.
Idioms for Stubborn Impossibilities Involving People
Sometimes the impossibility is not about events or outcomes it is about people who will simply never change.
17. Leopard Never Changes Its Spots
A classic proverb-style idiom suggesting that a person’s fundamental nature cannot be changed, no matter how much time passes.
Meaning: A person will never truly change their core nature or habits
When People Use It: Expressing doubt about someone’s ability to genuinely change
Alternative Expression: People don’t change
Examples:
Formal: Despite his promises, the history of the company suggests the leopard never changes its spots.
Casual: Don’t trust him leopard never changes its spots.
Creative: Beneath every new coat of behavior, the old pattern remained untouched.
18. Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks
This idiom reflects the idea that it is very difficult often impossible to change the habits or ways of someone who has been set in those ways for a long time.
Meaning: It is nearly impossible to make someone abandon long-established habits
When People Use It: When someone resists change or refuses to learn new ways
Alternative Expression: Set in their ways
Examples:
Formal: Introducing new software to long-standing employees is like teaching an old dog new tricks.
Casual: He’ll never use a smartphone you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
Creative: The patterns had run too deep for anything new to take root.
19. Move Mountains
Used here in its negative sense some things are so impossible they would require literally moving mountains to achieve.
Meaning: Achieve something that seems completely beyond human capability
When People Use It: Describing tasks that are simply too enormous or impossible
Alternative Expression: Perform miracles
Examples:
Formal: Without additional resources, completing this project would require moving mountains.
Casual: Getting him to agree is going to take moving mountains.
Creative: She would have needed to reshape the earth itself just to reach her goal.
Usage Insight: Idioms involving people and change are especially powerful in advice, storytelling, and realistic conversations about relationships.
Idioms for Expressing Disbelief About Future Events
These idioms go beyond dismissal they express genuine shock and disbelief that something could ever realistically occur.
20. Over My Dead Body
A dramatic and forceful idiom expressing that the speaker will do everything in their power to prevent something from happening.
Meaning: Absolutely not this will happen only if I am no longer around to stop it
When People Use It: Strong personal refusals or passionate opposition
Alternative Expression: Not a chance, absolutely not
Examples:
Formal: That merger will happen over my dead body.
Casual: You’re quitting school? Over my dead body.
Creative: Between that outcome and reality stood everything she had left to give.
21. The Day That Never Comes
A simple but deeply expressive idiom referring to a future moment that has been promised or anticipated but will realistically never arrive.
Meaning: A moment or event that is always promised but never actually happens
When People Use It: Describing broken promises, delays, or unrealistic timelines
Alternative Expression: Never-ending wait, an empty promise
Examples:
Formal: The deadline keeps being pushed back it has become the day that never comes.
Casual: He keeps saying he’ll call. That’s the day that never comes.
Creative: The calendar turned and turned, but that particular date refused to appear.
22. A Cat Has a Better Chance
A humorous and vivid idiom suggesting that even an animal would have better odds at success than the person or plan being discussed.
Meaning: The chances are so slim that even a random, absurd alternative seems more likely
When People Use It: Humorous dismissal of an idea or plan
Alternative Expression: No realistic chance
Examples:
Formal: Without proper preparation, a cat would have a better chance of winning that debate.
Casual: Honestly, a cat has a better chance than you right now.
Creative: Even the most unlikely contender seemed more prepared for what lay ahead.
23. Blue Moon Situation
Based on the popular phrase “once in a blue moon,” this idiom refers to something that happens so rarely it might as well never happen at all.
Meaning: An event so rare it is practically impossible in normal circumstances
When People Use It: Describing near-impossible events with a sense of irony
Alternative Expression: Once in a lifetime, almost never
Examples:
Formal: Expecting that level of cooperation is a true blue moon situation.
Casual: Him being on time? Total blue moon situation.
Creative: Even the rarest skies had seen that shade only once and barely.
Pro Tip: These idioms work especially well in storytelling, debates, and any situation where you want to make a point with confidence and personality.
Idioms for Quiet, Understated Impossibility
Not all impossible things are announced loudly. Some are communicated with subtlety, irony, and quiet confidence.
24. Don’t Count on It
A calm and direct idiom that discourages someone from placing any hope or reliance on a particular outcome.
Meaning: Do not expect this to happen
When People Use It: Gently warning someone against hoping for something unrealistic
Alternative Expression: Don’t bet on it
Examples:
Formal: If you are expecting a quick resolution, don’t count on it.
Casual: He’ll be here on time? Don’t count on it.
Creative: She folded her expectations quietly and moved forward without them.
25. That Ship Has Sailed
A widely used idiom meaning that a particular opportunity or outcome is no longer possible because the right moment has already passed.
Meaning: The opportunity is gone and will not return
When People Use It: When someone is pursuing a possibility that no longer exists
Alternative Expression: Too late now, that moment is over
Examples:
Formal: Any chance of renegotiating the contract that ship has sailed.
Casual: Getting that seat at the table? That ship has sailed.
Creative: The harbor stood empty and the water had long since gone still.
26. Fool’s Gold
This idiom describes something that appears valuable or possible on the surface but is ultimately false, worthless, or unachievable.
Meaning: Something that seems promising but is ultimately not real or attainable
When People Use It: Warning against illusions or misleading opportunities
Alternative Expression: False hope, an illusion
Examples:
Formal: Their optimistic projections turned out to be nothing but fool’s gold.
Casual: That deal sounded amazing but it was total fool’s gold.
Creative: She had reached for brightness and found nothing but a clever imitation.
How to Use Idioms for “Never Going to Happen” Naturally
Using these idioms well is about more than memorizing phrases it is about understanding timing, tone, and context so that they feel natural and land with impact.
Match the Situation
Not all of these idioms carry the same emotional weight. Some are humorous, some are sarcastic, and some are genuinely serious.
For gentle, polite dismissal → don’t hold your breath, don’t count on it
For strong sarcasm → dream on, fat chance, when pigs fly
For poetic expression → chasing the wind, castles in the air, fool’s gold
Insight: Think about the emotion you want to convey first then choose the idiom that matches it.
Keep Tone in Mind
Many of these idioms can sound dismissive, harsh, or even rude if used in the wrong setting. A phrase like “fat chance” or “dream on” works well between friends but can come across as disrespectful in professional environments.
In formal settings: stick to understated expressions like “slim to none,” “don’t count on it,” or “that ship has sailed”
In casual settings: feel free to use more vivid and sarcastic options
Golden Rule: If the relationship or setting requires respect and care, choose the softer idiom every time.
Use Them Sparingly
One well-placed idiom can do more work than five used in a row. When idioms are scattered throughout every sentence, they lose impact and start sounding unnatural.
Instead of saying: “That’s a pipe dream and you’re tilting at windmills and honestly don’t hold your breath because it’s just fool’s gold anyway” simply say:
“That’s a pipe dream. Don’t hold your breath.”
Less is always more.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even confident speakers make these mistakes when using impossibility idioms:
Using harsh idioms in sensitive conversations phrases like “snowball’s chance in hell” or “over my dead body” can feel aggressive if the topic is serious or emotionally charged.
Mixing idioms together in ways that don’t make sense each idiom has its own image and logic; combining them awkwardly breaks the effect.
Using British-flavored idioms in American contexts or vice versa always consider your audience and what sounds natural to them.
Treating sarcastic idioms as neutral expressions like “dream on” or “fat chance” carry a sharp edge; use them only where that tone is appropriate.
Practice Method That Actually Works
Learning these idioms is only the first step. Using them naturally takes practice, repetition, and real-life application.
Learn Three Idioms Daily
Pick three from this list each day. Read their meanings carefully, look at the examples, and make sure you understand the tone each one carries.
Use Them in Real Conversations
Even in small, everyday moments, try inserting an idiom naturally:
“Don’t count on the weather being nice this weekend.”
“That deadline being extended? That ship has already sailed.”
The more real-world situations you attach these phrases to, the faster they become part of your natural speech.
Write One Creative Sentence for Each
Push yourself beyond the basic example. Make the sentence vivid and emotional:
“She waited for his apology like someone waiting for snow in July it was never going to come.”
“The plan looked golden from a distance, but up close, it was nothing but fool’s gold.”
The more creative and personal your sentence, the more the idiom sticks in your memory.
Memory Trick: Every time you learn a new idiom, close your eyes and picture the scene it describes. A snowball melting in flames. A pig soaring through clouds. These images make the phrases unforgettable.
FAQs
1. What do idioms for “never going to happen” mean?
They are expressions used to describe situations, events, or outcomes that are considered completely impossible, hopelessly unlikely, or simply unrealistic often with a tone of humor, sarcasm, or dramatic emphasis.
2. Are these idioms formal or informal?
Most of them are informal and work best in casual conversations, storytelling, or creative writing. A few, like “slim to none” or “that ship has sailed,” can be used in semi-formal contexts as well.
3. Can I use them in everyday speech?
Absolutely. Expressions like “don’t hold your breath,” “when pigs fly,” and “not in a million years” appear regularly in everyday conversations, television, and even news commentary.
4. Are any of these idioms considered offensive?
Some can carry a sharp or dismissive tone. Phrases like “dream on,” “fat chance,” and “snowball’s chance in hell” should be used carefully depending on the audience and situation.
5. How do I remember so many idioms?
Connect each one to a strong visual image and practice using them in real situations. The more you use an idiom in a real context, the more naturally it will come to you over time.
Conclusion
Idioms for “never going to happen” are some of the most vivid, memorable, and emotionally rich expressions in the English language. They go far beyond the simple phrase of impossibility and instead deliver meaning with personality, wit, and confidence.
Whether you need to gently warn someone not to get their hopes up, firmly dismiss an unrealistic expectation, or add a touch of humor to a hopeless situation, these idioms give you the right words for every moment.
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Tyler Zone is an American writer at IdiomCrafter.com, who enjoys exploring the meaning behind everyday phrases. He focuses on making idioms simple and relatable for readers of all backgrounds. In his free time, he likes discovering new expressions and how people use them in daily life.
