When least expected
When something is not awaited, as in My brother always calls when least expected, or You might know that the furnace would break down when least expected—we just had it overhauled.
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- When pigs fly
Never, as in Sure he’ll pay for the drinks—when pigs fly. Equating the flight of pigs with something impossible dates from the early 1600s, when several writers alleged that pigs fly with their tails forward. The idiom is also put as pigs may fly.
- Whens
adverb 1. at what time or period? how long ago? how soon?: When are they to arrive? When did the Roman Empire exist? 2. under what circumstances? upon what occasion?: When is a letter of condolence in order? When did you ever see such a crowd? conjunction 3. at what time: to know when to […]
- Whensoever
adverb, conjunction 1. at whatsoever time. conjunction, adverb 1. (rare) an intensive form of whenever
- When the bell rings
when push comes to shove
- When the dust has settled
Also, after or once the dust settles. When matters have calmed down, as in The merger is complete, and when the dust has settled we can start on new projects. This idiom uses dust in the sense of “turmoil” or “commotion,” a usage dating from the first half of the 1800s.