if ifs and ands were pots and pans

if ifs and ands were pots and pans

proverb A phrase that advises against wishing for impossible or absurd things to happen. The full phrase is, "If ifs and ands were pots and pans, there'd be no work for tinkers' hands." A: "If only my parents would give me a car, life would be so much easier." B: "Yeah, well, if ifs and ands were pots and pans, right?"

See also: and, if, pan, pot

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

If ifs and ands were pots and pans (there'd be no work for tinkers' hands).

Prov. Wishing for things is useless. (Often said in reply to someone who says something beginning with "If only....") Daughter: If only we didn't have to move out of town, I'd be the happiest girl in the world. Grandmother: If ifs and ands were pots and pans, there'd be no work for tinkers' hands.

See also: and, if, pan, pot

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.