Common American Phrases in Everyday Contexts (162 page)

Not for love nor money
.
Absolutely not!; No way!
J
OHN
: Would you be willing to drive through the night to get to Florida a day earlier? M
ARY
: Not for love nor money!
J
ANE
: Someone needs to tell Sue that her favorite cat was just run over. Would you do it? B
OB
: Not for love nor money!

Not for my money
.
Not as far as I'm concerned. (Has nothing to do with money or finance.)
S
UE
: Do you think it's a good idea to build all these office buildings in this part of the city? M
ARY
: Not for my money. That's a real gamble
.
J
OHN
: We think that Fred is the best choice for the job. Do you think he is? M
ARY
: Not for my money, he's not.

not for publication
not to be talked about openly; secret.
Please tell no one about this. It's not for publication
.
This report is not for publication, so keep the results to yourself.

Not for the world
!
Absolutely not!; Not even if you gave me the world!
Q: Would you be able to work late on Friday evening? A: Not for the world!
T
OM
: Can I ask you to loan my cousin's friend a hundred dollars until next month? A
NN
: Not for the world!

Not half bad
.
Go to (It's) not half bad.

Not if I see you first
.
Go to Not if I see you sooner.

Not if I see you sooner
.
AND
Not if I see you first
.
a jocular response to I'll see you later. (This means that you will not see me if I see you first, because I will avoid you.)
T
OM
: See you later. M
ARY
: Not if I see you sooner
.
J
OHN
: Okay. If you want to argue, I'll just leave. See you later. M
ARY
: Not if I see you first.

Not in a thousand years
!
AND
Never in a thousand years
!
No, never!
J
OHN
: Will you ever approve of her marriage to Tom? S
UE
: No, not in a thousand years!
M
ARY
: Will all this trouble ever subside? J
OHN
: Never in a thousand years!