nothing doing
1
8.1
- idiom
- Informal
:
ni hablar
- The manager said, "I can't give you a raise this year; it's nothing doing."
- nothing doing," you say
They're like, Nope, no painkillers, no nothing doing it.
- They're like, Nope, no painkillers, no nothing doing it.
Examples
-
I said, nothing doing.
-
No, nothing doing until the ink is dry on the settlement.
-
Nothing doing, Chief.
-
When I suggested we change the project deadline, my boss replied, "Nothing doing!"
-
She wanted to attend the concert, but when tickets sold out, she knew it was nothing doing.
Synonyms
1
6.7
To never do something, no matter what happens
Say it to show you will never do something
Antonyms
How Willing
∞
1.0
14
3.1
4
3.8
- Informal
1
8.1
- Informal
1
8.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
Although the words 'nothing' and 'do/doing' literally suggest 'no action', the phrase 'nothing doing' functions as a colloquial, elliptical refusal meaning 'that will not happen' or 'no way'. This idiomatic usage is not directly derivable from the constituents and would not be reliably predicted by a B1 learner who merely knows the component words.
Etymology
Nothing doing may come from the simple idea of nothing doing, that is, nothing is being done or will happen. So when someone says nothing doing, they mean 'no' or a firm refusal.