Tib's Eve

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Meaning · English

A supposed future time that will never arrive.

Register: slang

Examples

Marry you? I'll marry you on Tib's Eve!

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

"neither before Christmas nor after," an indefinite period; like the Greek Kalends, TIB’S EVE has a future application; an indefinite period of past time is sometimes said to be "when Adam was an oakum-boy in Chatham Dockyard." "The reign of Queen Dick" is another form of this kind of expression, and is used to indicate either past time or future.

Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)

Where it’s used: Origin British & Irish English
Sources & notes

Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “Tib's Eve” mean?

A supposed future time that will never arrive.

Is “Tib's Eve” formal or informal?

Tib's Eve is generally slang.