enough is enough

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English[edit]

WOTD – 1 March 2023

Etymology[edit]

Compare Dutch genoeg is genoeg, German genug ist genug, Yiddish גענוג איז גענוג (genug iz genug, “enough is enough”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Phrase[edit]

enough is enough

  1. One should be satisfied; nothing additional is required.
    Synonym: enough is as good as a feast
    • 1546, John Heywood, chapter XI, in Julian Sharman, editor, The Proverbs of John Heywood. […], London: George Bell and Sons, […], published 1874, →OCLC, part II, page 173:
      Here is enough, I am satisfied, (sayd he). / Since enough is enough, (sayd I), here may we / With that one word take end good, as may be geast: / For folke say, enough is as good as a feast.
      The spelling has been modernized.
    • 1834, Robert Southey, “Chapter XX. P.I. How to Make Gold.”, in The Doctor, &c., volume I, London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longman, →OCLC, page 199:
      Learning is better than house or land. As for money, enough is enough; no man can enjoy more; and the less he can be contented with the wiser and better he is likely to be.
    • 1920, Thornton W[aldo] Burgess, “A Dinner for Two”, in Old Granny Fox, New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, →OCLC, page 173:
      "Are n't you going to get any more while we have the chance?" grumbled Reddy. "Enough is enough," retorted Granny.
    • 1987 November 11, “Reagan on dollar fall: ‘Enough is enough’”, in Southeast Missourian, volume 83, number 342, Cape Girardeau, Mo.: Rust Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1, column 3:
      Other administration officials have hinted the dollar may have to fall further, but President [Ronald] Reagan says enough is enough. "We're not doing anything to bring it down," Reagan said Tuesday in comments that sparked a slight dollar rally. "I don't look for a further decline, don't want a further decline from where it is right now."
  2. Especially as an expression of exasperation: the limit of patience or tolerance has been reached.
    Synonym: enough is too much
    • 1961 January 4, Lee Mortimer, “Why not sever all Cuban ties?”, in Glen O. Long, editor, Spartanburg Herald-Journal, volume 71, number 2, Spartanburg, S.C.: Phil Buchheit, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 4, column 2:
      With every new indignity served upon the United States by the fanatical Fidel Castro comes an immediate, and lasting, impulse to declare that enough is enough.
    • 1994 January 22, Richard L. Berke, “G.O.P. sees crime as a major issue”, in The New York Times‎[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-09-11, section 1, page 9:
      “I want a crime bill that grabs violent criminals by the throat,” Mr. [Phil] Gramm said. […] “I am for rehabilitation. But there reaches a point where you've got to say, ‘Enough is enough.’”
    • 2013 September 25, Desmond Tutu, “Every Child Deserves a Quality Education”, in Forbes‎[2], New York, N.Y.: Forbes, Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-09-11:
      What message are we sending our children? That they are not worthy of a basic & simple infrastructure. That they cannot be allowed the freedom to dream of a better way of learning, and a better way of life? […] Enough is enough! It is time for decisive leadership and immediate action.
    • 2022 September 11, Lee Hsin-fang, Jonathan Chin, “Letter calls for Taiwan’s UN inclusion”, in Taipei Times‎[3], Taipei, Taiwan: The Liberty Times Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-09-11, page 1:
      The "continued exclusion of Taiwan from the UN system is not only unwise, unjust and unfair, but also is a blatant violation of the principles of universality and self-determination as enshrined in the UN Charter, and must be rectified immediately," they [organizations representing overseas Taiwanese communities] said. "The time is now for the United Nations and the rest of the world to jointly stand up against China and its lawless and out-of-control bullying of Taiwan," they said, adding: "Enough is Enough."
    • 2023 February 22, Tom Harmon, “Open Access: Time for Action on Resolving Avanti’s West Coast Woes”, in Rail, number 977, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 62:
      On behalf of all the long-suffering passengers on the West Coast Main Line, enough is enough. Avanti needs to be put out of its misery … and soon.

Translations[edit]

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Further reading[edit]

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