ENGLISH
REFERENCE

that'll be the day

idiom
Meaning

Said in reply to something that one believes will never happen.


Origin

disputed origin

Originally referring to a significant day in the future regarded as worth waiting for.

Examples
SIMPLE

"You'll tidy your room?" "That'll be the day."

CONTEXTUAL

When my brother said he would stop playing video games, I laughed and said, "That'll be the day."

COMPLEX

She promised to arrive on time for once, and her skeptical colleague muttered under her breath, "That'll be the day."

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    a cold day in July

    The time of occurrence of an event that will never happen.

  2. 02

    a day late and a dollar short

    Too late and too feeble to achieve the desired effect.

  3. 03

    a year and a day

    A long time.

  4. 04

    as the day is long

    Unceasingly; very; thoroughly; to a very high degree.

  5. 05

    bad hair day

    A day when things seem to be unmanageable or go wrong.

  6. 06

    banyan day

    In British naval tradition, a day of the week when galley kitchens served no meat on board ship.

  7. 07

    black day

    A day of great disaster, misfortune or unhappiness.

  8. 08

    call it a day

    To cease an activity.

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