{"id":10334,"date":"2022-11-02T20:18:53","date_gmt":"2022-11-02T20:18:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=10334"},"modified":"2022-11-02T20:18:53","modified_gmt":"2022-11-02T20:18:53","slug":"when-hell-freezes-over-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/when-hell-freezes-over-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"When Hell Freezes Over \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you looking for a colorful way to tell someone something will never happen? You could decide to say that it will come to be \u201cwhen hell freezes over<\/strong>.\u201d Dive into the meaning and origin of this idiom, and learn how to use it, in this post.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The idiom \u201cwhen hell freezes over<\/strong>\u201d is a casual way to say \u201cnever<\/u>.\u201d When you say something will happen when hell freezes over, it means there is no chance it will.<\/p>\n

The saying refers to the idea that hell is always burning hot.<\/p>\n

A variation of this idiom is \u201cuntil<\/em> hell freezes over<\/strong>.\u201d This variation has the opposite meaning \u2014 it means that something will continue indefinitely.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

Are you wondering how to put the idiom \u201cwhen hell freezes over\u201d into action? Take a look at these examples to discover contexts where it would fit perfectly:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • \u201cI\u2019ll apologize to my brother when hell freezes over<\/strong>!\u201d<\/li>\n
  • \u201cThe company has been talking about raising wages for the last three years. We\u2019re beginning to think it will happen when hell freezes over<\/strong>.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • \u201cMy elderly neighbors don\u2019t care about the risk of tornadoes, and say they\u2019ll leave their home when hell freezes over<\/strong>.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • \u201cHe\u2019ll be arguing with his wife until hell freezes over<\/strong>.\u201d (The saying takes on the opposite meaning, \u201calways\u201d or \u201cforever,\u201d in this variation.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Origin<\/h2>\n

    The saying \u201cwhen hell freezes over<\/strong>\u201d likely originated in the United States sometime during the 19th<\/sup> century<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    As with most idioms, the exact time when it came into use is unknown, but the Dictionary of Catch Phrases: American and British, from the Sixteenth Century to the Present Day<\/em>, attributes \u201cwhen hell freezes over\u201d to that time period.<\/p>\n

    This idiom invokes a strong visual reaction. Both Christianity and Islam have strong ideas about hell as a horrific realm with eternally-burning fires<\/u>. Hell is, as a punishment for evil deeds in life, as hot as it is torturous.<\/p>\n

    Hell will never freeze over, the saying implies. Therefore, saying that you\u2019ll do something when hell freezes over means that it will never happen.<\/p>\n

    This idiom has sharply declined in popularity over the last few decades, but it still paints a vivid picture. If you would like to use it, know that the phrase \u201cwhen hell freezes over\u201d is considered rude and mildly offensive.<\/p>\n

    Phrases Similar to When Hell Freezes Over<\/h2>\n

    Are you looking for similar phrases? You\u2019re in luck! Other expressions and idioms that mean \u201cnever\u201d include:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Over my dead body<\/strong> \u2014 meaning you will never agree, and your conversational partner will have to kill you to make it happen.<\/li>\n
    • When pigs fly<\/strong> \u2014 meaning never.<\/li>\n
    • On a cold day in hell<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
    • When [a notoriously bad sports team] wins [the championship in that sport]<\/strong> \u2014 this is a modern take on the saying. \u201cWhen the Cleveland Browns win the Super Bowl\u201d is one example.<\/li>\n
    • When Half-Life 3 comes out<\/strong> \u2014 you can use this phrase when you want to tell a gamer that something will never happen.<\/li>\n
    • No chance in hell<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Phrases Opposite to When Hell Freezes Over<\/h2>\n

      If you\u2019re looking for a saying that means \u201calways,\u201d you can try:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Until hell freezes over<\/strong> \u2014 indicating a never-ending activity.<\/li>\n
      • Until the cows come home<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
      • Until you\u2019re blue in the face<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        What Is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n

        The correct saying is \u201cwhen hell freezes over<\/strong>.\u201d It means \u201cnever.\u201d<\/p>\n

        Ways People May Say When Hell Freezes Over Incorrectly<\/h2>\n

        The idiom \u201cwhen hell freezes over\u201d means \u201cnever.\u201d Don\u2019t use the phrase when talking about something that is unlikely; only use it to indicate that there is no chance that the event or situation you are talking about will come to pass.<\/p>\n

        Acceptable Ways to Say When Hell Freezes Over<\/h2>\n

        You can use the phrase \u201cwhen hell freezes over\u201d whenever you need an informal, creative, and slightly offensive way to say \u201cnever.\u201d<\/p>\n

        This idiom has largely fallen out of use, but even people who have never heard it before are likely to grasp its meaning right away.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Are you looking for a colorful way to tell someone something will never happen? You could decide to say that it will come to be \u201cwhen hell freezes over.\u201d Dive into the meaning and origin of this idiom, and learn how to use it, in this post. Meaning The idiom \u201cwhen hell freezes over\u201d is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10334"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10334"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10336,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10334\/revisions\/10336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}