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“Call it a day” means to stop an activity, often after a long day of work or play. It can also be used before bedtime. The phrase is informal but can be used in polite company. Similar phrases include “call it a night” and “call it quits.” It is important for non-native English speakers to confirm correct usage with native speakers.
The phrase “call it a day” is a fairly commonly used idiom that means to quit or stop doing the current activity. Usually, it is used at the end of an otherwise strenuous working day or activity to indicate that the day of hard work or play is over and it is time to go home and relax for the evening, although this is not always the case . The phrase could also be used by someone before bedtime that he wishes to interrupt the conversation or other evening activities and go to bed.
Common examples of using the phrase might be “I’m getting tired and dinner will be ready soon, so let’s play another hole of golf and then close it” or “I’ll be home soon; I’ll finish a couple of things here at work and then call it a day.” The phrase is typically used to express the action of quitting an activity rather than referring to the activity itself as finished. For example, it would be incorrect, though probably understandable, to say, “The basketball game was canceled due to rain.” Most people familiar with the idiom would probably understand the meaning of that sentence, even if it’s incorrect and technically doesn’t make sense. Idioms like this are often difficult to translate between languages, so for people just learning to speak English, it might be helpful to ask native English speakers if the usage is correct when using this phrase and other common idioms.
The phrase is relatively informal, but it wouldn’t be inappropriate to use in polite company. A boss might signal to his employees that they can go home by telling them to stop it one day. Just as easily, two kids exhausted from a day of playing outside might decide to call it a day.
Some other phrases similar to “call it a day” could be used in place of this idiom. “Call it a night” could be used in the evening or at night to indicate that an activity should be suspended for the night. “Call it quits” can be used in scenarios where quitting will be permanent, rather than simply for an overnight or weekend break, although it is sometimes used in the same way as “call it a day”.
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