“The die is cast” means a decision has been made or circumstances set in motion that cannot be stopped. It is an idiom that originated in the Roman Empire and was possibly first uttered by Julius Caesar when he marched his army over the Rubicon. The phrase can be taken literally as the roll of a die or the casting of metal in a mold, meaning the outcome is decided and cannot be changed. Idioms can be difficult to interpret cross-culturally.
The phrase “the die is cast” indicates that a decision has been made or a set of circumstances has been set in motion that can no longer be stopped. If the die has been rolled, there is generally nothing you can do but let the situation play out. The phrase can be taken literally to refer to the roll, or casting, of a die, or the process of pouring liquefied metal into a die.
Idioms are figures of speech that do not simply convey their literal interpretation. For example, “killing two birds with one stone” does not literally imply killing birds with one stone, but achieving two goals with one action. Idioms exist in many languages in different cultures and can be difficult to interpret cross-culturally. “The die is cast” is a idiom said to have origins in the Roman Empire.
Historically, Julius Caesar is believed to have first uttered the phrase “the die is cast,” but an exact account of the instance is difficult to pin down. The story is that around the year 49 BC, Julius Caesar was ordered to relinquish command of his army at the request of the Roman senate, and he received this order when he was at the Rubicon River. Caesar decided to ignore the order and march his army over the Rubicon and into Italy, which was a crime in itself. As he marched the army rebelliously up the river, ignoring both the command and breaking the law, he declared that “the die is cast,” knowing that nothing could prevent the war.
The phrase “the die is cast” can be translated literally as “the die has been rolled, and whatever number rolls, it will come up”. The outcome of a single die roll is decided once it has left the hand of the shooter, and spectators have to wait and see what happens. Alternatively, mold casting could refer to the process of casting metal in a mold, otherwise known as a mold. This explanation likely arose later, but it has essentially the same meaning: once the die is cast, the metal shape cannot be altered.
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