Learn English – Why does “Not in a month of Sundays” mean “It won’t happen”

idiomsmeaningphrases

I'm not English so I find it hard to guess the reason why "Not in a month of Sundays" means "It won't happen" or "A long period of time".

I find the meaning weird. Can anybody explain to me why it means this? My question is why.

Full context (A children's literature by Jacqueline Wilson):

But my mum's coming to see me at Christmas. She is. I just know she is.
'Your mum's not coming to see you in a month of Sundays,' said Justine Littlewood. 'Your mum's never ever coming back because she doesn't want anything to do with an ugly manky bad-mouthed stupid show-off who wets the bed every ni—' "*

Best Answer

According to the following source it probably derives from the Christian concept of Sunday as a "day of rest" from which the notion of a very long time:

  • The expression is said to mean 30/31 weeks (the amount of time it takes a month of Sundays to pass) and has is believed to have origins from the Christian Holy Day of Sunday, the Sabbath. This day was a “day of rest” and was a long, solemn day devoid of amusement. Activities were even regulated on Sunday by law at times and therefore Sunday could seem long and tiresome (out of boredom)… therefore a month of Sundays could feel like an eternity. It is also sometimes used to denote something that will never happen.

The Oxford English Dictionary cites the first printed use of the phrase from 1759:

  • “The commander..swore he should dance to the second part of the same tune, for a month of Sundays.” H. MURRAY Life & Real Adventures Hamilton Murray I. x. 121

NOTE: There are some variations on this, such as: Week of Sundays, Week of Saturdays, etc.

(makingheadsortailsofidioms.com)

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