a snowball's chance in hell
An infinitely small possibility, chance, or likelihood, to the point of being impossible. Usually used in the phrase "not have a snowball's chance in hell." That candidate doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning an election in this part of the state. We haven't got a snowball's chance in hell if we have to compete against some mega corporation like that! I knew I wouldn't have more than a snowball's chance in hell of getting in, but I sent in my application anyway.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
snowball's chance in hell, a
No chance at all, as in He hasn't a snowball's chance in hell of getting there in two hours. This idiom, nearly always used negatively, alludes to the traditional view of hell as extremely hot, causing snow to melt at once. [Late 1800s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.