Meaning of Idiom ‘Not For All the Tea in China’
Not for all the tea in China means not for any price or reward; never; not at all. 1Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. ,2Jarvie, Gordon. Bloomsbury Dictionary of Idioms]. London: Bloomsbury, 2009.,3Spears, Richard A. McGraw-Hill’s American Idioms Dictionary. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2008.
Want to see more videos from Idioms.Online? Subscribe to our YouTube channel!
Examples Of Use
“I wouldn’t date her again for all the tea in China. She’s crazy!”
“You’re going to have to give up smoking,” said the doctor. “Forget it!” said Floyd. “Not for all the tea in China!” “It’s your funeral,” said the doctor.
“He’s my friend. I don’t care what he did. I’m not going to betray him for all the tea in China.”
Origin
This idiom originated in Australia during the late 1800s. It alludes to the huge amount of tea in China. For many years, in fact, China was the sole source of tea for the entire world. 4Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. ,5Jarvie, Gordon. Bloomsbury Dictionary of Idioms]. London: Bloomsbury, 2009.
More Idioms Starting with N
- Not a Hair Out of Place Meaning
- Name Your Poison Meaning and Origin
- “The Name of the Game” Meaning and Origin
- Nail Jell-O to the Wall Meaning and Origin
- Not Enough Room to Swing a Cat
More All Idioms
- As All Get-Out (or Like All Get-Out)
- All Time Low Meaning
- Tuckered Out Meaning (and “Tucker Someone Out”)
- All Hell Breaks Loose
- All of a Sudden
More China Idioms
More Food (and Beverage) Idioms
- I Could Murder (A Food/Drink)
- Go Pear-shaped Meaning
- Chopped Liver Idiom Meaning
- Low-Hanging Fruit Meaning
- Know Which Side Your Bread is Buttered On
More Not Idioms
- Not Enough Room to Swing a Cat
- Not the Only Fish in the Sea
- Not Lift a Finger
- Not Much to Look At
- When Hell Freezes Over
More Tea Idioms
This page contains one or more affiliate links. See full affiliate disclosure.