jell

jell

slang To become cohesive; to blend or unify. You won't jell with your new teammates overnight—just give it time.

jello shot

slang A small amount of hard alcohol that has been mixed with Jell-O powder and become gelatinous, served and consumed in a single serving (a "shot"). Jello shots? What, are we in college? Allie said she doesn't like the taste of alcohol, so I gave her a jello shot instead.

See also: jello, shot

like nailing Jell-O to a cross

Incredibly difficult or impossible, such that it could be seen as a foolish or worthless endeavor to attempt. (Jell-O is a trademark for a brand of gelatin-based desserts that have a soft, gelatinous texture.) Trying to have a reasonable debate with her father is like nailing Jell-O to a cross. If they can't secure a victory here today, climbing back to a spot in the tournament finals will be like nailing Jell-O to a cross.

See also: cross, like, nail, to

like nailing Jell-O to a tree

Incredibly difficult or impossible, such that it could be seen as a foolish or worthless endeavor to attempt. (Jell-O is a trademark for a brand of gelatin-based desserts that have a soft, gelatinous texture.) Trying to have a reasonable debate with her father is like nailing Jell-O to a tree. If they can't secure a victory here today, climbing back to a spot in the tournament finals will be like nailing Jell-O to a tree.

See also: like, nail, to, tree

like nailing Jell-O to the wall

Incredibly difficult or impossible, such that it could be seen as foolish or futile to attempt. (Jell-O is a trademark for a brand of gelatin-based desserts that have a soft, gelatinous texture.) Trying to have a reasonable debate with her father is like nailing Jell-O to the wall. Getting the kids to behave after a big party is like nailing Jell-O to the wall.

See also: like, nail, to, wall

like trying to nail Jell-O to a cross

Incredibly difficult or impossible, such that it could be seen as a foolish or worthless endeavor to attempt. (Jell-O is a trademark for a brand of gelatin-based desserts that have a soft, gelatinous texture.) Trying to have a reasonable debate with her father is like trying to nail Jell-O to a cross. If they can't secure a victory here today, climbing back to a spot in the tournament finals will be like trying to nail Jell-O to a cross.

See also: cross, like, nail, to, trying

like trying to nail Jell-O to a tree

Incredibly difficult or impossible, such that it could be seen as a foolish or worthless endeavor to attempt. (Jell-O is a trademark for a brand of gelatin-based desserts that have a soft, gelatinous texture.) Trying to have a reasonable debate with her father is like trying to nail Jell-O to a tree. If they can't secure a victory here today, climbing back to a spot in the tournament finals will be like trying to nail Jell-O to a tree.

See also: like, nail, to, tree, trying

like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall

Incredibly difficult or impossible, such that it could be seen as foolish or futile to attempt. (Jell-O is a trademark for a brand of gelatin-based desserts that have a soft, gelatinous texture.) Trying to have a reasonable debate with her father is like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall. Getting the kids to behave after a big party is like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall.

See also: like, nail, to, trying, wall

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall

AMERICAN

If something is like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall, it is impossible or extremely difficult. Jell-O is a trademark. Trying to describe the party's policy on this is like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall. Note: Jell-O is a dessert that resembles ready-made jelly. This expression was first used by the American President Theodore Roosevelt in a letter to William Roscoe Thayer in 1915. He was describing the difficulty of negotiating with Colombia over the Panama Canal.

See also: like, nail, to, trying, wall

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

nail Jell-O to the wall

and nail Jell-O to a cross and nail Jell-O to a tree

phr. to do something that is totally futile. (Jell-O is a protected trade name.) You’re wasting your time. Trying to get him to do that is like nailing Jell-O to the wall.

See also: nail, to, wall

nail Jell-O to a cross

verb

See nail Jell-O to the wall

See also: cross, nail, to

nail Jell-O to a tree

verb

See nail Jell-O to the wall

See also: nail, to, tree

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.