set in concrete

firmly established and very difficult to change set in stone The basics of the financial plan are set in concrete.

Usage notes: sometimes used in the form written in concrete: Nothing is written in concrete – we can still make changes.

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Vilis	-	Latvian
Armor	['a:mə]
Odtsetseg	-	Mongolian
Dimitri	dee-MEE-tree (Russian)	Russian, French
Babbitt	['bæbit]
Aleksandra	ah-lyek-SAHN-drah (Russian), ah-leek-SAHN-drah (Russian), ahl-ek-SAHN-drah (Polish)	Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Serbian, Bulgarian, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian, Estonian