till hell freezes over

Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

till hell freezes over

Shultz, says one Administration official, will "stay on that job till hell freezes over" rather than let that happen.

From Time Magazine Archive

The one thing you can bet on is that no matter what happens to the German people, win or lose, they'll stick by the Kaiser till hell freezes over.

From Main Street by Sinclair Lewis

"I don't suppose we'll leave here till hell freezes over," said Meadville, who was doing up the last strap on his pack.

From Three Soldiers by John Dos Passos

"Give us a chance to do something," was their cry, "and we'll stay till hell freezes over; but no more of this sort of thing for us."

From A Soldier's Trial An Episode of the Canteen Crusade by Charles King

When I get back to Chicago," he perorated, "I'm going to get a job and stick to it till hell freezes over.

From The Road by Jack London