cast in stone

Idioms  

1. Also, etched in stone. Definite, fixed, as in We may choose to stay longer—our plans aren't cast in stone, or When Carl sets an agenda you can safely assume it's etched in stone. Both expressions allude to sculpture, with the first, from the early 1500s, using the verb cast in the sense of pouring and hardening some material into a final form, and the second cutting or corroding a permanent design.

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Example Sentences

Eighteen years later, after people became connected to everyone in all spheres of their life, there’s the threat of all posts cast in stone due to the reluctance of social-media companies to truly delete information.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 11, 2022

But the monuments also lack the baggage of expectation that comes with glorious figures cast in stone.

From Washington Post • Oct. 13, 2020

Penfield insists the decision is not cast in stone, and will be revisited when more facts emerge, and will not harm the March 22 album by Jenny Lewis, which counts Adams as a collaborator.

From Fox News • Feb. 20, 2019

In-division opponents are cast in stone, while the two other divisions are played on a rotation that’s determined well in advance.

From New York Times • Nov. 10, 2015

Q. The eight that you're talking about, are you saying that it's cast in stone that the three picks will be at Gleneagles because you know it, or because you hope it?

From The Guardian • Jun. 3, 2010