no way Jose

English

Alternative forms

• no way José; no way, José; no way, Jose

Etymology

Uncertain. Probably invented for the rhyme. First attested in 1978.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nəʊ ˈweɪ həʊˌseɪ/, /- həʊˌzeɪ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adverb

no way Jose (not comparable)

1. (colloquial) No way; absolutely not.

Usage notes

• Used an intensified form of no in refusal or denial.

Synonyms

• I don't think so
• never in a month of Sundays
• not in a million years
• not on your life
• not on your nelly
• when pigs fly
• when Hell freezes over

Antonyms

• okey dokey, artichokey

Translations

Translations

• Polish: za chińskiego boga (pl) (literally “for a Chinese god”)
• Portuguese: nem que a vaca tussa (pt) (literally “not even if the cow coughs”), nem morto (literally “not even dead”)
• Spanish: ni de broma (es), ni de coña (es), ni de guasa (es), ni harto de vino
• Swedish: icke sa Nicke (sv)

Further reading

• Jonathon Green (2024) “no way!”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang