James was a major league soccer player. Even when his team members went home after an afternoon of intensive training, he refused to call it a day. He would practice taking shots at the goal well into the evening. He became one of the leading goal scorers in his country’s history and the highest-paid player on his team.
Check out the video below to learn more about how this idiom is used in practice.
Transcript
Ummm, night is over … morning has begun … I’m going to call it a day?! This is confusing!
Don’t worry! This idiom just means to stop the work that you are doing (maybe for now, maybe forever).
Let’s look at a few examples of how we can use this phrase naturally:
- I’m going to call it a day, everyone. I’ve got to get home to cook dinner for my kids. See you tomorrow!
- OK, we’ve been working on this project for 12 hours now. Shall we call it a day for now?
- OK, great work, everybody! Let’s call it a day. See you all tomorrow!
- Ryan Giggs played for Manchester United for 23 years, finally calling it a day at the age of 40!
Phew! It’s been a long day for me. I’m going to call it a day. See you guys next time!
Practice
Let’s practice what you’ve learned! Read the questions below and write your responses in the comments section below. Try to include today’s idiom in your answers.
- What time do you usually leave the office?
- Are there any projects that you finished recently? Were you happy to have gotten them off your plate?
- Are there any projects or activities you think your family members should give up on completing?
- How do you know when it’s time to give up on an activity or hobby? Are there any dreams that you refuse to give up on even though they are difficult to achieve?
- If you feel tired when working, do you usually stop what you’re doing, or do you keep going?
Want to learn more idioms? Check out these free videos or have a look at our premium Udemy course Essential English Idioms.
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