Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. bought on hire purchase; in cit. 1900 note pun on never-never country at never-never, the n.¹ .

1894		Truth (Sydney) Feb. 1/7: A couple [...] were married ‘on the never’ in this fashion.
1900		Bulletin (Sydney) 6 Oct. 12/3: But they all got credit for goods somehow. They had their little witching ‘birdies’ hidden away in a snug little villa, and their little suppers and other luxuries – and all ‘on the nevah,’ seemingly. Most of the Bwitish arwistocwacy that comes out heah regards Austwaliah as a Nevah-Nevah countwy, bai jove!
1926		E. Wallace More Educated Evans (1932) 36: Her uncle was a musher and drove a taxi which he [...] had purchased on the ‘never never’ system. You pay £80 down and more than you can afford for the rest of your life.
1930		(con. 1914–18) Brophy & Partridge Songs and Sl. of the British Soldier 145: On the Never.—To get anything on the never was to get it without the proper payment, either by credit or by wangling.
1935		Thieves Slang ms list from District Police Training Centre, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwicks 7: On the never: To obtain goods [...] on easy payment system.
1939		‘Neville Shute’ What Happened to Corbetts (1968) 237: We could have the radiogram, couldn’t we? Even if we had to put it on the Never-Never.
1956		G. Scott Time & Place in G. Feldman (ed.) Protest (1960) 249: Dressed up in [...] diddly suits bought on [...] the old familiar ‘never-never’.
1958		A. Sillitoe Sat. Night and Sun. Morning 22: A television aerial hooked on to almost every chimney, like a string of radar stations, each installed on the never never.
1960		‘Hergé’ Tintin and the Red Sea Sharks 11: We’ll end up buying a battleship [...] on the never-never.
1974		J. McNeil How Does Your Garden Grow Act II: She’s got some grouse stuff [...] I’ll say that for the bitch. On the never-never, of course.
1980		Barltrop & Wolveridge Muvver Tongue 18: To have things on credit or instalment payments is ‘the never-never’ [...] most Cockneys say simply ‘on the never’.
1998		J. O’Connor Salesman 26: I’ll take one off you anyway [...] if you let me have it on the never-never.
2001		G. Coughlan Everyday Eng. and Sl. 🌐 On the never never (n): On Hire Purchase.
2019		A. Parks February’s Son 1268: ‘Need a new coat. No bloody money, so need to buy it on the never-never’.

2. (UK und.) to obtain goods by deception.

1935

Thieves Slang ms list from District Police Training Centre, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwicks 7: On the never: To obtain goods by fraud.