# call it a day

Pronunciation: say "kawl it uh DAY" US /ˌkɔl ɪt ə ˈdeɪ/, UK /ˌkɔːl ɪt ə ˈdeɪ/; AUS say "kawl-it-uh-DAY"

## Idiom

1. To bring a stretch of work or effort to an end, whether because it has failed or because enough has been accomplished.
   - Simple: To stop working on something, either because it is going badly or because you have done enough.
   - _The search team called it a day when the light faded and no trace of the hikers had been found._
   - _With the last of the harvest finally in, the tired workers were glad to call it a day._
2. To bring an ongoing activity to a stop, setting it aside rather than continuing.
   - Simple: To stop doing an activity that you have been busy with.
   - _After the meeting dragged past dinnertime, the committee agreed to call it a day._
   - _The painters called it a day once the second coat had dried._
3. To retire: to end one's working life or professional career for good.
   - Simple: To stop working for good and leave your job for the last time.
   - _When his knees finally gave out, the veteran climber chose to call it a day._
   - _The aging striker called it a day at the end of the season._

## Origin

This phrase developed from the earlier "call it half a day," which first appears around 1834 and meant to leave before the working day was over.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/call-it-a-day (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).