no dice
Related to no dice: knows the ropes
no dice
No luck; no chance; certainly not. Often said as a response indicating a total refusal or rejection. I tried swapping out the carburetor, but no dice. A: "Would you help me wash the dishes?" B: "Sorry, no dice. I've got somewhere I need to be."
See also: dice, no
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
no dice
Inf. no; not possible. When I asked about a loan, he said, "No dice." No. It can't be done, no dice.
See also: dice, no
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
no dice
Also, no go; no soap. No, certainly not; also, impossible. For example, Anthony wanted to borrow my new coat, but Mom said no dice, or We tried to rent the church for the wedding, but it's no go for the date you picked, or Jim asked Dad to help pay for the repairs, but Dad said no soap. All of these slangy expressions indicate refusal or an unsuccessful attempt. No dice, from the 1920s, alludes to an unlucky throw in gambling; no go, alluding to lack of progress, dates from about 1820; and no soap dates from about 1920 and possibly alludes to the phrase it won't wash, meaning "it won't find acceptance." Also see nothing doing; won't wash.
See also: dice, no
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
no dice
1. If you are trying to achieve something and you say there's no dice, you mean that you are having no success with it. I tried calling her and I tried one or two of her old friends in Hampstead, but there was no dice. I was hoping he'd offer me a ride in his hot-air balloon, but no dice.
2. If someone asks you for something and you reply no dice, you are refusing to do what they ask. Nope, sorry, we're not interested, no dice. Note: This expression comes from the game of craps (= a game that uses dice), and means that the player's last throw is not counted.
See also: dice, no
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
no dice
used to refuse a request or indicate that there is no chance of success. North American informal 1990 Paul Auster The Music of Chance Sorry kid. No dice. You can talk yourself blue in the face, but I'm not going.
See also: dice, no
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
no ˈdice
(spoken, especially American English) used to show that you refuse to do something or that something cannot be done: ‘Did you get that job?’ ‘No dice.’When you throw dice in a game, if they do not fall flat or they land on top of each other, the throw is invalid and considered no dice.See also: dice, no
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
no dice
interj. no; not possible. When I asked about a loan, he said, No dice.
See also: dice, no
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
no dice
1. Of no use; futile.
2. Used as a refusal to a request.
See also: dice, no
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
no dice
Nothing doing; useless and ineffective. A twentieth-century American colloquialism, this term clearly comes from gambling, but its precise origin is obscure. Presumably it meant that without dice one couldn’t have a game. It appears in print in several popular novels of the early 1940s, including A. Marshall’s Some Like It Hot (1941), which became a very successful motion picture (“No dice. I’ll get along in my own piddling fashion”). See also no way.
See also: dice, no
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
no dice
An absolute refusal. According to one explanation, courts would not convict gamblers at illegal craps games unless they were caught with dice (swallowing the evidence was not an uncommon way to get rid of it). “No dice, no conviction” was the watchword that referred to that refusal to convict.
See also: dice, no
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price
- no soap
- (the) baby needs (new) shoes
- baby needs a new pair of shoes
- the baby needs shoes
- daddy needs (new) shoes
- daddy needs a new pair of shoes
- mama needs (new) shoes!
- mama needs a new pair of shoes
- start up
- computer says no