English Reference
Idiom idiom

first of never


A nonexistent day; a day that will never come.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

He will pay you back on the first of never.

CONTEXTUAL

When I asked if he would finally finish the project, he laughed and said it would be done on the first of never.

COMPLEX

The politician promised to lower taxes, but the public knew that such a change would arrive on the first of never.


The phrase follows the construction of a standard date, composed of a day followed by a month, as in the first of February. It replaces the specific month with a temporal impossibility to indicate a time that will not arrive.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    a wild goose never laid a tame egg

    Most things are inherited and predetermined.

  2. 02

    blink first

    To be the first party in some situation to give in or back down.

  3. 03

    cast the first stone

    To act self-righteously in accusing another person, believing oneself to be blameless.

  4. 04

    come first

    To win first place in a competition.

  5. 05

    director of first impressions

    A receptionist.

  6. 06

    feet first

    In the manner of a deceased person (i.e., dead).

  7. 07

    first among equals

    A person or position that is formally of equal rank to others in a group, but nonetheless takes a leading role within that group.

  8. 08

    first and last

    A person's combined given name and surname.

Last updated August 10, 2026