call it a day

English

Etymology

Earlier call it half a day, first attested in 1838, meaning to leave before the working day was over.

Pronunciation

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Verb

call it a day (third-person singular simple present calls it a day, present participle calling it a day, simple past and past participle called it a day)

1. (idiomatic) To cease the activity for the day. [from 1919]

   We have been at this for hours; let's call it a day and come back tomorrow when we are fresh.

   • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter VIII:

     “Do you often go looking for mice in other people's rooms?” “I wouldn't say often. Just when the spirit moves me, don't you know?” “I see. Well...” When people say “Well” to you like that, it usually means that they think you are outstaying your welcome and that the time has come to call it a day. She felt, I could see, that Woosters were not required in her son's sleeping apartment […]

2. (idiomatic) To retire.

   After suffering massive losses for three years in a row, the boss decided to call it a day, and sold his company.

Synonyms

• call it quits
• call it stumps

Related terms

• call it an early night
• call it a night
• call it quits

Translations

to cease activity for the day

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 收工 (zh) (shōugōng)

• Czech: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: morgen is er nog een dag
• Finnish: lopettaa joltakin päivältä (fi)
• French: s’arrêter là
• German: Schluss für heute, Feierabend machen
• Greek: σταματώ (el) (stamató)
• Hungarian: mára elég (literally “enough for today”), legyen elég mára ennyi (literally “let this much be enough for today”), tegyük el magunkat holnapra (literally “let’s put ourselves away for tomorrow”)
• Icelandic: segja þetta gott
• Italian: finirla qui, chiudere la giornata
• Japanese: 今日はここまでにする (kyō wa kokomadeni suru)
• Portuguese: dar por encerrado
• Russian: закругля́ться (ru) (zakrugljátʹsja), шаба́ш (ru) (šabáš), баста (ru) (basta)
• Spanish: retirarse (es)
• Swedish: låta det vara nog för i dag, kalla det en dag

to retire

• Arabic: اِعْتَزَلَ (iʕtazala)
• Bulgarian: излизам в пенсия (izlizam v pensija), пенсионирам се (pensioniram se)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 退休 (zh) (tuìxiū)

• Dutch: op rente gaan
• Finnish: luovuttaa (fi), lopettaa (fi)
• French: se retirer (fr), arrêter les frais (fr), jeter l’éponge (fr)
• German: in Pension gehen
• Greek: συνταξιοδοτούμαι (el) (syntaxiodotoúmai)
• Hungarian: leteszi a lantot (literally “to put down the lute”)
• Indonesian: istirahat (id)
• Italian: ritirarsi (it), tirare i remi in barca
• Japanese: 退職する (ja) (たいしょくする, taishoku-surú), 引退する (ja) (いんたいする, intai-surú)
• Portuguese: largar mão (pt)
• Russian: выходи́ть на пе́нсию (vyxodítʹ na pénsiju), выходи́ть в отста́вку (vyxodítʹ v otstávku)
• Spanish: retirarse (es)
• Swedish: kasta in handuken
• Vietnamese: về hưu (vi)