What does the idiom "Call it a day" mean?

Idioms are generally defined as groups of words that form a meaningful whole when they come together, even though the words in them do not make sense on their own. They have produced many idioms according to their own cultural characteristics in communities using the English language. What does Call it a day mean? In what situations is Call it a day used?

Meaning of "Call it a day"

Meaning

The idiom "call it a day" is used when someone wants to end a given activity or task and move on to something else. In this way, it is similar to the phrase "give it a rest" or "move on". This phrase can also be used when someone wants to take a break from an arduous or difficult task, or to indicate that they have accomplished a task.

Etymology

The phrase "call it a day" is believed to have originated in the early 19th century. It was first used in print in 1821, in a book called "Peter Parley's Universal History", by American author Samuel Griswold Goodrich. It is thought that the phrase was originally used to refer to the end of the work day, and then came to be used more generally to indicate when it was time to move on from a particular task or activity.

Usage

The phrase "call it a day" is often used in casual conversation, both in spoken and written form. It is typically used when someone wants to either bring an activity or task to a close, or just take a break from whatever they are doing. It can also be used to signal that a given task has been completed.

Example Sentences

  • I think it's time to call it a day - I've done enough work for today.
  • We've been working on this project for hours - why don't we call it a day and pick up tomorrow?
  • We've got the report finished, so I think we can call it a day now.

The meanings of the words in the "Call it a day" idiom

The Global Spread of English Idioms

As English has become a global language, its idioms have spread far beyond the borders of the UK and USA. For instance, the idiom "beat around the bush" has equivalents in many other languages, such as "tourner autour du pot" in French and "dar vueltas al asunto" in Spanish. Meanwhile, other idioms have been adapted for local contexts, such as the Russian idiom "?? ???? ???????" (ne svoya rubashka), which translates to "not one's own shirt," meaning to be in an uncomfortable or unfamiliar situation.

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