until the cows come home

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

for an extremely long and indefinite period of time, effectively forever or at least far longer than is practical or productive; dairy cows traditionally return to the barn in the evening to be milked and sheltered, making their homecoming a reliable if unhurried daily event; the phrase extends this image to describe waiting, arguing, or pursuing a course of action for a duration so long as to be effectively infinite — often implying that the situation being described will never actually resolve or that the person involved will never change their behaviour