you never can tell
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
you never can tell
You can never know something for certain, even if it seems very likely. I never expected those girls to be so rude. It's supposed to be a really good school, but you never can tell, I guess.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
you never can tell
Also, you never know. Perhaps, possibly, one can't be certain, as in You never can tell, it might turn into a beautiful day, or You may yet win the lottery-you never know. The first term uses tell in the sense of "discern," a usage dating from the late 1300s; the variant dates from the mid-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.
you ˌnever can ˈtell
,you can ˌnever ˈtell
(saying) you can never be sure; you can never know exactly what will happen: ‘Is he happy?’ ‘I don’t know. You can never tell with him.’ ♢ ‘Who’s going to win?’ ‘In weather conditions like these you never can tell.’Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017