not on your nelly
not on your nelly
An expression of one's refusal to do something. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. A: "Will you go out to the barn and clean up after the horses?" B: "Not on your nelly!"
See also: nelly, not, on
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
not on your nelly
BRITISH, INFORMAL, OLD-FASHIONEDYou can say not on your nelly to mean that there is no chance at all of something happening. Note: `Nelly' is sometimes spelled `nellie'. Will I be attending the ceremony? Not on your nelly! Note: This expression may come from cockney rhyming slang. `Not on your Nellie Duff' stands for `not on your puff', which also means `definitely not'.
See also: nelly, not, on
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
not on your nelly
certainly not.This expression, modelled on the phrase not on your life , originated as not on your Nelly Duff , which is British rhyming slang for ‘puff’, meaning ‘breath of life’.
See also: nelly, not, on
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
not on your ˈnelly
(old-fashioned, British English, informal) definitely not: You want to borrow my new car? Not on your nelly! Nelly was short for Nelly Duff, which was rhyming slang for puff, an informal word for your life.See also: nelly, not, on
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
- flops
- (one's) true colours
- at (one's) expense
- at expense
- at somebody's expense
- at someone's expense
- at doorstep
- at (one's) doorstep
- (one's) day in court
- (one's) old man