What Does “till the cows come home” mean?
Definition:
If someone asks you to do something till the cows come home, they mean you could do it for a very long time.
Origin
The phrase alludes to cows in a pasture where they are allowed to graze for a long time before they come back to the barn. These animals are generally not in a hurry making their way slowly through the pasture back home.
The phrase till the cows come home has been around since at least the sixteenth century. Beaumont and Fletcher used “till the cow come home” in a play—The Captain (circa 1609–1612):
Host. Good night!
Jacomo. Good morrow! Drink till the cow come home, ’tis all paid boys.
Example(s)
I haven’t finished the work yet. I think I’ll be working till the cows come home.
Don’t count on her to prepare the dinner. She will be talking on the phone till the cows come home.
You can try till the cows come home but you will never be able to persuade him to change his behavior.
