cast in stone

Idioms  

1. Also, etched in stone. Definite, fixed, as in We may choose to stay longer—our plans aren't cast in stone, or When Carl sets an agenda you can safely assume it's etched in stone. Both expressions allude to sculpture, with the first, from the early 1500s, using the verb cast in the sense of pouring and hardening some material into a final form, and the second cutting or corroding a permanent design.

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Example Sentences

The future is never cast in stone.

From Salon

Eighteen years later, after people became connected to everyone in all spheres of their life, there’s the threat of all posts cast in stone due to the reluctance of social-media companies to truly delete information.

From Seattle Times

“The debt relief given to the SDFRs cannot be undone, the Court cannot order that Plaintiff receive equivalent relief, and money damages are precluded. The harm will be complete and its effects will be cast in stone.”

From Washington Times

“This is a dynamic process. Nothing is cast in stone. There are no firm conclusions,” Ben Embarek said.

From Seattle Times

“Numbers are never cast in stone when you start a new process,” he said, adding that the company had to transfer its manufacturing from the Netherlands to a plant in Baltimore.

From New York Times