Sometimes in life, we face problems that seem impossible to solve. These situations can feel like climbing a mountain with no top in sight or trying to catch the wind in your hands. People often use idioms to describe these kinds of challenges. Idioms are special phrases that don’t mean exactly what the words say but help us picture an idea or feeling. They make our language more colorful and fun.
In this article, we’ll explore some idioms that describe impossible situations. You’ll learn what they mean and how to use them in your sentences. By the end, you’ll also get to practice using these idioms with a simple exercise. It’s a great way to improve your understanding of English while having fun with words.
Idioms for Impossible Situations
1. When pigs fly
Meaning: Something that will never happen.
In a Sentence: “He’ll clean his room when pigs fly.” / “She said she’d share her candy, but that’ll happen when pigs fly.”
Other Ways to Say: “Not in a million years.”, “That’ll never happen.”
2. Catch a cloud
Meaning: Trying to do something impossible.
In a Sentence: “He’s trying to catch a cloud by thinking he can win without practicing.” / “Expecting my cat to fetch a ball is like trying to catch a cloud.”
Other Ways to Say: “Chasing the wind.”, “Hoping for the impossible.”
3. A snowball’s chance in hell
Meaning: No chance at all.
In a Sentence: “Our team has a snowball’s chance in hell of beating the undefeated champions.” / “I have a snowball’s chance in hell of finishing this puzzle before dinner.”
Other Ways to Say: “No way.”, “Slim to none.”
4. Build castles in the air
Meaning: Making plans that are unrealistic or impossible.
In a Sentence: “He’s building castles in the air by thinking he’ll become a superhero.” / “Dreaming about winning the lottery without a ticket is like building castles in the air.”
Other Ways to Say: “Daydreaming.”, “Unrealistic dreams.”
5. Get blood out of a stone
Meaning: Trying to do something very difficult or impossible.
In a Sentence: “Getting my brother to do his homework is like trying to get blood out of a stone.” / “It’s as hard as getting blood out of a stone to make them agree on a movie.”
Other Ways to Say: “Pulling teeth.”, “An uphill battle.”
6. Go against the tide
Meaning: Doing something extremely difficult or unpopular.
In a Sentence: “Convincing the class to stop using phones during lunch feels like going against the tide.” / “She’s trying to change the rules, which is like going against the tide.”
Other Ways to Say: “Swimming upstream.” , “Fighting the current.”
7. As likely as finding a needle in a haystack
Meaning: Nearly impossible to find or achieve.
In a Sentence: “Finding my lost earring in the park is like finding a needle in a haystack.” / “Winning this contest feels like finding a needle in a haystack.”
Other Ways to Say: “Searching for a grain of sand on the beach.” , “Hunting for the impossible.”
8. The moon is made of green cheese
Meaning: Something untrue or ridiculous.
In a Sentence: “Saying aliens built the pyramids is like saying the moon is made of green cheese.” / “Thinking homework does itself is like saying the moon is made of green cheese.”
Other Ways to Say: “Unbelievable.”, “Ridiculous idea.”
9. Blow smoke
Meaning: Saying something that’s not true or realistic.
In a Sentence: “He’s just blowing smoke if he thinks he’ll ace the test without studying.” / “She’s blowing smoke about becoming famous overnight.”
Other Ways to Say: “Making empty promises.”, “Talking nonsense.”
10. Pie in the sky
Meaning: A hope or plan that is unlikely to happen.
In a Sentence: “Thinking we’ll go to space for free is just pie in the sky.” / “His idea to buy a mansion with no money is pie in the sky.”
Other Ways to Say: “Wishful thinking.”, “An impossible dream.”
11. Barking up the wrong tree
Meaning: Looking for answers or solutions in the wrong place.
In a Sentence: “If you think video games will teach you math, you’re barking up the wrong tree.” / “He’s barking up the wrong tree by asking the wrong person for help.”
Other Ways to Say: “Off track.”, “On the wrong path.”
12. Make a mountain out of a molehill
Meaning: Turning a small problem into something much bigger.
In a Sentence: “You’re making a mountain out of a molehill about losing one sock.” / “He made a mountain out of a molehill when he spilled a little milk.”
Other Ways to Say: “Overreacting.”, “Blowing it out of proportion.”
13. Shoot for the stars
Meaning: To aim for something almost impossible.
In a Sentence: “He’s shooting for the stars by trying to write a novel in one week.” / “She’s shooting for the stars with her goal to run a marathon without training.”
Other Ways to Say: “Dreaming big.”, “Reaching for the impossible.”
14. Beat your head against a wall
Meaning: Trying to do something that seems impossible or very frustrating.
In a Sentence: “I’m beating my head against a wall trying to fix this old computer.” / “Convincing him to eat vegetables feels like beating my head against a wall.”
Other Ways to Say: “Fighting a losing battle.”, “Wasting effort.”
15. A leopard can’t change its spots
Meaning: People can’t change their true nature.
In a Sentence: “Expecting him to stop being late is like thinking a leopard can change its spots.” / “She’ll never love math; a leopard can’t change its spots.”
Other Ways to Say: “People don’t change.”, “It’s in their nature.”
16. Herding cats
Meaning: Trying to control or organize something very difficult.
In a Sentence: “Getting toddlers to sit quietly is like herding cats.” / “Organizing the group project felt like herding cats.”
Other Ways to Say: “A chaotic task.”, “Trying to do the impossible.”
17. Cry for the moon
Meaning: Asking for something impossible to get.
In a Sentence: “Wanting summer vacation to last all year is like crying for the moon.” / “He’s crying for the moon if he thinks he’ll get a new bike without saving money.”
Other Ways to Say: “Asking for the impossible.”, “Dreaming too big.”
18. Bite off more than you can chew
Meaning: Taking on something too difficult to handle.
In a Sentence: “She bit off more than she could chew by signing up for three clubs.” / “Building a treehouse alone is biting off more than you can chew.”
Other Ways to Say: “Taking on too much.”, “Overestimating yourself.”
19. Pushing a rope
Meaning: Trying to do something pointless or impossible.
In a Sentence: “Teaching my dog to meow is like pushing a rope.” / “Convincing him to wake up early feels like pushing a rope.”
Other Ways to Say: “Futile effort.”, “Pointless struggle.”
20. Up a creek without a paddle
Meaning: In a difficult or impossible situation without help.
In a Sentence: “I forgot my homework at home, so now I’m up a creek without a paddle.” / “Without a map, we’re up a creek without a paddle.”
Other Ways to Say: “Stuck in a tough spot.”, “In trouble.”
21. Make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear
Meaning: Trying to turn something bad into something great.
In a Sentence: “Turning that old bike into something fancy is like making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.” / “Fixing this broken chair feels like trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”
Other Ways to Say: “Making the best of a bad situation.”, “An impossible makeover.”
22. Run around in circles
Meaning: Working hard but not making progress.
In a Sentence: “We’re running around in circles trying to organize this messy room.” / “He’s running around in circles trying to solve the puzzle without reading the instructions.”
Other Ways to Say: “Going nowhere fast.”, “Wasting effort.”
23. Put toothpaste back in the tube
Meaning: Trying to undo something that can’t be undone.
In a Sentence: “Once you send the text, you can’t take it back. It’s like putting toothpaste back in the tube.” / “Breaking that vase is like putting toothpaste back in the tube—it can’t be fixed.”
Other Ways to Say: “Undoing the impossible.”, “Fixing something irreversible.”
24. Move mountains
Meaning: Achieve something very difficult or impossible.
In a Sentence: “She’s trying to move mountains by finishing her science project in one night.” / “Getting him to eat spinach would be like moving mountains.”
Other Ways to Say: “Doing the impossible.”, “Achieving the unachievable.”
25. Walking on water
Meaning: Doing something miraculous or impossible.
In a Sentence: “He thinks he’s walking on water by trying to solve this hard math problem.” / “Fixing this old car feels like walking on water.”
Other Ways to Say: “Performing a miracle.”, “Doing the unimaginable.”
26. Can’t fit a square peg in a round hole
Meaning: Forcing something to work when it doesn’t fit.
In a Sentence: “Trying to use that broken key is like forcing a square peg into a round hole.” / “She’s trying to make two very different ideas work together, but it’s like a square peg in a round hole.”
Other Ways to Say: “Forcing what doesn’t work.”, “Making the wrong fit.”
27. Chase your own tail
Meaning: Wasting time by doing the same thing without progress.
In a Sentence: “He’s chasing his own tail trying to fix a broken toy without the right tools.” / “I feel like I’m chasing my own tail studying for a test without understanding the topic.”
Other Ways to Say: “Running in circles.”, “Getting nowhere.”
28. Straighten the curves
Meaning: Trying to make something that’s naturally complex or impossible simple.
In a Sentence: “Fixing this old roller coaster feels like trying to straighten the curves.” / “She’s straightening the curves by attempting to make all kids behave perfectly.”
Other Ways to Say: “Simplify the impossible.”, “Fix the unfixable.”
29. Impossible is a tough nut to crack
Meaning: Something very hard or nearly impossible to achieve.
In a Sentence: “Winning this basketball game against the best team is a tough nut to crack.” / “Convincing him to like broccoli is a tough nut to crack.”
Other Ways to Say: “Hard to achieve.”, “A difficult challenge.”
30. Skating on thin ice
Meaning: Doing something risky or nearly impossible.
In a Sentence: “You’re skating on thin ice by not studying for your big test.” / “He’s skating on thin ice by leaving the house without permission.”
Other Ways to Say: “Taking a big risk.”, “Walking on a tightrope.”
31. Like trying to nail jelly to a wall
Meaning: Attempting to do something impossible to manage or hold.
In a Sentence: “Explaining this math problem to my little brother feels like trying to nail jelly to a wall.” / “It’s like nailing jelly to a wall to make my cat stay still for a photo.”
Other Ways to Say: “A slippery challenge.”, “An impossible task.”
32. Pour water into a sieve
Meaning: Putting effort into something useless or impossible.
In a Sentence: “Trying to teach my dog to dance is like pouring water into a sieve.” / “Doing homework without directions feels like pouring water into a sieve.”
Other Ways to Say: “A waste of time.”, “Effort with no result.”
33. Take two steps forward, one step back
Meaning: Making progress but facing setbacks, making it seem impossible.
In a Sentence: “Learning to ride a bike feels like two steps forward, one step back.” / “We’re taking two steps forward and one step back with this group project.”
Other Ways to Say: “Slow progress.”, “Setbacks along the way.”
34. Cut water with a knife
Meaning: Trying to separate or divide something that can’t be divided.
In a Sentence: “It’s like cutting water with a knife to split this candy perfectly in half.” / “Convincing both teams to agree on rules feels like cutting water with a knife.”
Other Ways to Say: “A pointless effort.”, “Splitting the unsplittable.”
35. The odds are stacked against you
Meaning: A situation where success is nearly impossible.
In a Sentence: “With the storm coming, the odds are stacked against us winning the soccer game.” / “Trying to finish this puzzle in one minute feels like the odds are stacked against me.”
Other Ways to Say: “The deck is stacked against you.”, “A losing battle.”
Exercise to practice
- Trying to clean my messy closet in five minutes is like ________ jelly to a wall.
- Convincing my dog to stop barking at the mailman feels like trying to ________ a cloud.
- Finding my favorite pencil in this pile of stuff is like looking for a ________ in a haystack.
- Without studying, passing the math test is like thinking pigs will ________.
- Getting my baby brother to share his toys feels like trying to get ________ out of a stone.
- My team has a snowball’s ________ in hell of winning against the champions.
- Organizing all the kids at the birthday party felt like herding ________.
- Dreaming of buying a mansion without money is just ________ in the sky.
- Trying to use a broken key to open the door is like fitting a square ________ into a round hole.
- Convincing my cat to wear a costume for Halloween is like pouring water into a ________.
- Turning this old junk into a beautiful car feels like making a silk ________ out of a sow’s ear.
- Asking for two hours of recess is like crying for the ________.
Answers
- nailing
- catch
- needle
- fly
- blood
- chance
- cats
- pie
- peg
- sieve
- purse
- moon
Conclusion
Idioms make language more exciting and help us describe tricky situations in creative ways. Learning these expressions can improve how you communicate and understand others. Practicing idioms, like the ones about impossible situations, also makes English more fun and interesting to use. Keep practicing, and you’ll grow better at recognizing and using them in everyday conversations.