Green’s Dictionary of Slang

St Tibb’s eve n.

never.

1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Saint Tibb’s evening; the evening of the last day, or day of judgment: he will pay you on St. Tibb’s eve. (Irish).
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785].
1849		Western Times 12 May 5/2: The pleasing anticipation of another dividend of 3s. in the pound [...] a fact very likely to be realised about St Tibb’s eve.
1857		Brighton Gaz. 26 Nov. 8/6: We were [...] apprehensive that we should have to wait until St Tibb’s Eve [...] for the gratification of our wishes.
1864		London Eve. Standard 13 Dec. 3/2: A bus driver in altercation with his conductor, who threatened him with ‘paying off’ soon, replied ‘Oh yes, in the reign of Queen Dick,’ which we found to be synonymous with ‘Never,’ or ‘Tib’s eve’.
1866		Patrick Kennedy Legendary Fictions of the Irish Celts 46: ‘When will you marry me?’ says the giant. ‘You’re puttin’ me off too long.’ ‘St Tibb’s Eve,’ says she .
1873		Sl. Dict. 322: Tib’s eve [...] 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.’.
1894		Diss Exp. 10 Aug. 6/4: He promised to pay up in a month [...] ‘as soon as he and his wife should be together again.’ ‘That is on St Tibb’s Eve,’ brutally replied the creditor.
1898		Sth Wales Dly 1 July 4/4: That would mean postponing the matter till St Tibb’s Eve, which old legend tells us comes neither before or after Christmas.
1910		P.W. Joyce Eng. As We Speak It In Ireland.
1938		S. MacManus Rocky Road to Dublin n.p.: But the little boy minded little the cold passage, or the time she took, even if it was to Tibb’s Eve – because he had found lying in a window, a wonderful book [BS].
1944		F. MacManus Pedlar’s Park 104: Do you know you're in foreign parts? Do you know you could keep running from this until Tibb’s Eve without striking Christian country!