not on your life

not on your life

Absolutely not; no way. A: "Hey, John Boy, come over and help me paint the house this afternoon." B: "Not on your life, Davey! I've got plans tonight and have no intention of getting dirtied up before then!"

See also: life, not, on

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

not on your life

Certainly not, as in Go hang-gliding? Not on your life. The first recorded use of this interjection was in 1896.

See also: life, not, on

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.

not on your life

said to emphasize your refusal to comply with some request. informal

See also: life, not, on

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

not on your ˈlife

(spoken) used to refuse very firmly to do something: Go out and miss the football match on TV? Not on your life! ♢ Lend him $50? Not on your life.

See also: life, not, on

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

not on your life

Informal

Absolutely not; not for any reason whatsoever.

See also: life, not, on

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

not on your life

Under no circumstances. This expression, which means just about the same as “not if your life depended on it,” dates from the late nineteenth century. It appeared in print fairly often from 1900 on, as in Jack London’s The Valley of the Moon (1913): “‘You’d vote the socialist ticket.’—‘Not on your life.’” Its positive counterpart is you (can) bet your life.

See also: life, not, on

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer