yes. everybody would know what it means and how to use it. i say it pretty often.
i also just want to add that sometimes people will say “call it a night” in the same way. means the same thing. you can say “call it a day” at any time of day, including night. “call it a night” one would only use at nighttime.
I don’t have any proof of this so could be way off, but I didn’t think “calling it” is a shortened form of “calling it a day/night”. “To call it” is more like deciding it’s over, with or without any work being put in. I immediately thought it was a sports term, because I hear a lot of “calling it” when the scores are so uneven that it’s easy to tell one team is obviously going to be the winner.
I just asked my sports fan husband and he thinks it might come from baseball terminology when they have to cancel a game due to weather.
To me, "to call it" has three meanings.
1. Short for "to call it a day/night" -- to be finished with work or an activity for the time being, usually to go rest.
2. To make a prediction of an outcome, as in your sports example -- "I'm calling it now; my team's gonna win"
3. To make a claim on something -- "I call the front seat!"
Basically, "call it a day/night/week" means that I'm deciding that the day/night/week is over in terms of work I need to do that day/night/week. "Call it a day" means the day is over, so I'm done work for the day. It's not just used for work at a job, but anything that is tiring and feels like a job or chore. If it's my day off and I just got done a lot of house cleaning, I might say "I'm calling it a day," meaning I'm done with chores for the day and I'm just going to relax now.
Other units are time like night, week, etc. are used when you're tired and done with the work for that time period. "Calling it a night" can also be used to indicate that you're done with whatever activity you're doing, and you're going home and/or going to bed. If you're at a party, you might tell people you're calling it a night as a way of saying you're leaving the party and going home.
If you work a job that's closed on the weekend, especially if the work is carrying over from week to week, you might say "Ok, let's call it a week," meaning it's getting late and you're done working for the week.
Sick serial killer's catch phrase. Would definitely look cool in a novel!
_you wake up strapped to Dexter's hunting table_
"I'm gonna call it a life."
_you get stabbed_
I think “call it” has a slightly different implication.
You’ve been trying to achieve some goal or finish some job and you “call it.” That means you declare work done . It’s either good enough, or a total failure so there’s no point going on:
We’re raking leaves in the yard. There are still leaves falling and blowing around, but I say, let’s call it.
The hero in the doctor show is trying to revive the dying patient. In spite of everything, the patient dies so you have to “call it” and stop trying.
So if you just say “call it” instead of “call it a day” I think you’re making a comment on the job or the party rather than focusing on the relaxation after.
In your scenario, if you said “call it” to me, I’d assume you meant you were thinking about calling it quits and were letting me make the call. If you said “let’s call it a day” I’d know you definitely want to stop and likely will - regardless of whether or not I agree. If you said “I’m gonna call it a day” then I’d assume you’re 100% quitting for now.
“Call it” for me, always references the party being spoken to needing to render a choice, much like tossing a coin and being told to “call it”.
Aren't the first two the exact same thing? You call it a day when you're done for the day. It means you've decided to stop. "Call it" is short for " calling it a day," "calling it quits," etc. It might not be good enough or a total failure, but you've done all that you're going to do that day. You are calling it a day's work. It's over.
Calling time of death is different. They're not "calling it" because they're tired of working or tired of trying to save the patient. They've realized that someone is definitely dead, so now they're calling time of death.
I agree it is close. But I think call it a day is about knocking off work because it’s time for a rest, while call it means the job is done. You can call it a day until tomorrow, but it seems to me that just plain “call it” means in my judgement, we’ve done enough. It’s good enough. We’ve tried our best and reached the point of diminishing returns.
I don’t mean to argue with you, it’s just interesting how I interpret the two phrases slightly differently.
If you don't say what you are calling it could be anything - it's ambiguous because it's not a complete phrase. Call it a day, call it done, etc.
Sometimes this is very literal. A lot of people are paid per project or can choose if they want to do overtime so they can "call it a day" or "call it a job" whenever they are done for the day or with that project.
Yes, that is equally common, not only for night shift but also for a night of dinner, theater, bars, street or people watching, etc. Pretty much anything. Means go home and relax or sleep.
The way I see it is: “Call it a day” means you’re done with work and are ready for relaxing/nighttime activities (going out with friends, playing video games, etc). “Call it a night” means you’re done with your nighttime activities and are ready to actually go to sleep.
You can use these at any literal time, as long as “day” means work and “night” means relaxation.
That’s fine. I meant contexts like legal writing or official communications from governments. A business meeting is an excellent time to use this phrase. You’ll be a hero :)
As far as I understand, it’s derived from a work idiom anyway. The “day” being called is a complete work day, ie you are calling your effort a complete shift at the factory etc and going home.
business meetings are okay, and depending on the work, it’s pretty common and useful.
Example:
Just finished a major project: “Well we got that done, let’s call it a day and go home”
Or if something isn’t coming together: “This just isn’t working, let’s call it a day and get back to it tomorrow.”
like others have said, pretty much just avoid it in legal documents, but otherwise it’s fine.
I would use it when deciding to stop something for the day.
in the second example in this image, as the scope is greater than a day, I'd be more inclined toward "call it quits".
Yes.
I do want to mention that the second example given in the picture is either very rare, incorrect, or needs more context.
"Call it a day" is almost exclusively used to mean to be done for a single day. One may "call it a day" but return to continue tomorrow. Or one may "call it a day" because the task is complete.
This seems to imply that she is retiring or moving to a different country. I would not use this phrase in that context.
Yea, I felt the same way. I don't think it's such a terrible use that people would care, but it's definitely intended for situations where you want to stop doing a somewhat short term task for a small period of time (til the next day, or over a weekend, or until the next meeting), and not something long term like a career until... Forever?
Yes, but the second example is not a good example.
Because it implies that you'll get back to it tomorrow/ the next time you're scheduled to work
Calling it a day on living and working in a country isn't something unless you're moving to another country permanently and then decide to move back a day later.
I agree it’s a bad example for learning how to use it but I think the sentence is emphasizing how it feels that she is leaving suddenly and seemingly carelessly, as if it’s just “calling it a day”.
I might also say, "Let's call it," to end an activity. For example, if I were playing board games with friends, we'd just finished a game and it was late, I might say, "Alright, boys, it's 11:30 and I have to work early. Let's call it."
Yes! I often use a similar statement: “Do you want to call it there?” Or “Let’s call it there.”
These are informal statements that I use when finishing a long and sometimes incomplete activity (like a puzzle). Great question!
In the beginning, God said "let there be light." God saw that the light was good, and separated it from the darkness.
An angel said, "that's really cool. What are you going to do next?"
God replied, "I'm going to call it a day."
"Call it a day" has a finality to it. Whatever issues are you are walking away from. Whatever complaints there might be whatever former investment of time was. It is a very definitive way of saying "I'm Done" (perhaps to begin again later, perhaps not)
Very common. Sometimes you'll also hear "I'm calling it" to mean "I'm done with this", regardless of whether the thing they're doing is complete or not.
I’d make the distinction, though, that *calling it [a day/a night/etc.]* means being done with an activity for that time period but not necessarily done with all activities, while *hitting the hay* specifically refers to (getting ready for and) going to bed for the day/night.
Yes, it's pretty common. Usually it is used pretty literally, so more like the first example there than the second. Like if you are doing an activity for a day, you "call it a day" when you finish.
The etymology is interesting. It was originally “call it a half-day” (1838) which was an expression used by shift workers who could leave work early and still be paid for a half-day. It began to be used more widely to mean “stop work” and by 1919 it became “call it a day”. It began to be used beyond the “working day” context too. It even spread to the night in the similar phrase “let’s call it a night”.
This phrase is very common in media. Not so much in spoken english. If you say it everyone will know what you mean very clearly, but it may seem a bit expository to your audience. I don't think it would be off putting at all, though. If anything it may be endearing.
Very common - as people have mentioned, you can also say "Call it a night" depending on the time.
Additionally, you might hear someone say, "I'm calling it," say for instance in a boxing match. One fighter's coach may "call it" and forfeit a match when they see their fighter unable to continue.
This comes from physicians calling or declaring someone's time of death.
A really common example you'll probably hear over here is:
Person 1: "Man, it's almost 4 AM - think we should wrap up the party?"
Person 2: "Yep, call it."
Some have mentioned this already, but in addition to meaning “finish up for the day” it can also mean you’re not putting any more effort into a task, for example: “just wrap it in duct tape and call it a day”
It's pretty common here in Australia too. The best usage of it is towards the end of a work day when you've been working up until the last minute, especially when talking with coworkers past your finish time. Example: "Well, it's been great talking to you but it's 5 minutes past my finish time now, so I'm gonna **call it a day** and head home. See ya!"
Similarly, "call it a night" is used at night/dusk. When said in the household where you're sleeping that night, it means "I'm gonna do my bedtime routine (shower, toilet, medicine, etc), then go lay down in bed." If you say it while you're not at home, it means "I'm gonna finish what I'm doing here and head home."
Yes, this is a common expression. However, I would say it’s used less commonly (or possibly only facetiously) when the thing you’ve decided to stop doing is something you’ve been doing for longer than an actual day, such as in the second example.
In the UK it is generally referring to that specific work day, and can have either a positive or negative connotation.
Oh, I finished that report 15 minutes early, I think I'll call it a day here.
Or.
It has been raining for three hours straight this afternoon, I don't think we'll be able to get any more work done today, let's call it a day.
yes. everybody would know what it means and how to use it. i say it pretty often. i also just want to add that sometimes people will say “call it a night” in the same way. means the same thing. you can say “call it a day” at any time of day, including night. “call it a night” one would only use at nighttime.
Oh, I didn't know that, that's very interesting!!
You can also just “call it”. If it’s late and you want to leave, “Well, I’m calling it” - means “I’m ending my night here”.
Just saying it this way can also refer to the end of anything, a job, a project, a game, whatever you are working on.
Exactly - “I’m calling it” - the time is done. It’s so versatile!
Yeah, I often associate “calling it” with medical dramas. Doctors on TV often “call it” when they stop performing CPR and pronounce a patient dead.
I am a nurse and that's what we do unfortunately.
I don’t have any proof of this so could be way off, but I didn’t think “calling it” is a shortened form of “calling it a day/night”. “To call it” is more like deciding it’s over, with or without any work being put in. I immediately thought it was a sports term, because I hear a lot of “calling it” when the scores are so uneven that it’s easy to tell one team is obviously going to be the winner. I just asked my sports fan husband and he thinks it might come from baseball terminology when they have to cancel a game due to weather.
To me, "to call it" has three meanings. 1. Short for "to call it a day/night" -- to be finished with work or an activity for the time being, usually to go rest. 2. To make a prediction of an outcome, as in your sports example -- "I'm calling it now; my team's gonna win" 3. To make a claim on something -- "I call the front seat!"
Shotgun!
I've only heard "call it" in the context of someone saying they called something, like predicted something.
Basically, "call it a day/night/week" means that I'm deciding that the day/night/week is over in terms of work I need to do that day/night/week. "Call it a day" means the day is over, so I'm done work for the day. It's not just used for work at a job, but anything that is tiring and feels like a job or chore. If it's my day off and I just got done a lot of house cleaning, I might say "I'm calling it a day," meaning I'm done with chores for the day and I'm just going to relax now. Other units are time like night, week, etc. are used when you're tired and done with the work for that time period. "Calling it a night" can also be used to indicate that you're done with whatever activity you're doing, and you're going home and/or going to bed. If you're at a party, you might tell people you're calling it a night as a way of saying you're leaving the party and going home.
I’ve never used or heard someone say “call it a week”. Only day/night
If you work a job that's closed on the weekend, especially if the work is carrying over from week to week, you might say "Ok, let's call it a week," meaning it's getting late and you're done working for the week.
I understand what it would mean. I’ve literally never heard anyone say that, and I have worked in jobs that are closed on weekends for the past decade
I'm a hermit and work from home, but I'm sure I've heard it on some media that showed that type of situation. It's certainly not an alien term to me.
Many people just say "I'm gonna call it." referring to this phrase.
One can also “call it a week” on Friday, or even “call it a life” if one is feeling a bit morbid
Never heard call it a life before. Would not recommend a non-fluent speaker using it
Quite so, definitely wouldn’t recommend it.
Sick serial killer's catch phrase. Would definitely look cool in a novel! _you wake up strapped to Dexter's hunting table_ "I'm gonna call it a life." _you get stabbed_
I am definitely using this in the next book I write lol
Or just 'call it.'
I think “call it” has a slightly different implication. You’ve been trying to achieve some goal or finish some job and you “call it.” That means you declare work done . It’s either good enough, or a total failure so there’s no point going on: We’re raking leaves in the yard. There are still leaves falling and blowing around, but I say, let’s call it. The hero in the doctor show is trying to revive the dying patient. In spite of everything, the patient dies so you have to “call it” and stop trying. So if you just say “call it” instead of “call it a day” I think you’re making a comment on the job or the party rather than focusing on the relaxation after.
In your scenario, if you said “call it” to me, I’d assume you meant you were thinking about calling it quits and were letting me make the call. If you said “let’s call it a day” I’d know you definitely want to stop and likely will - regardless of whether or not I agree. If you said “I’m gonna call it a day” then I’d assume you’re 100% quitting for now. “Call it” for me, always references the party being spoken to needing to render a choice, much like tossing a coin and being told to “call it”.
Aren't the first two the exact same thing? You call it a day when you're done for the day. It means you've decided to stop. "Call it" is short for " calling it a day," "calling it quits," etc. It might not be good enough or a total failure, but you've done all that you're going to do that day. You are calling it a day's work. It's over. Calling time of death is different. They're not "calling it" because they're tired of working or tired of trying to save the patient. They've realized that someone is definitely dead, so now they're calling time of death.
I agree it is close. But I think call it a day is about knocking off work because it’s time for a rest, while call it means the job is done. You can call it a day until tomorrow, but it seems to me that just plain “call it” means in my judgement, we’ve done enough. It’s good enough. We’ve tried our best and reached the point of diminishing returns. I don’t mean to argue with you, it’s just interesting how I interpret the two phrases slightly differently.
If you don't say what you are calling it could be anything - it's ambiguous because it's not a complete phrase. Call it a day, call it done, etc. Sometimes this is very literal. A lot of people are paid per project or can choose if they want to do overtime so they can "call it a day" or "call it a job" whenever they are done for the day or with that project.
Exactly, especially for the shift workers.
Does "call it a night" work if my sleep schedule is a joke, it's 2PM, i've been awake for 26 hours and going to sleep?
Yes, that is equally common, not only for night shift but also for a night of dinner, theater, bars, street or people watching, etc. Pretty much anything. Means go home and relax or sleep.
i don’t see why not. i’ve probably used it like this.
if you are going to sleep at 2pm, then that is when you are deciding to “call it a night”. you are the one calling it.
The way I see it is: “Call it a day” means you’re done with work and are ready for relaxing/nighttime activities (going out with friends, playing video games, etc). “Call it a night” means you’re done with your nighttime activities and are ready to actually go to sleep. You can use these at any literal time, as long as “day” means work and “night” means relaxation.
Yep. I’d say all competent speakers of American English are familiar with this phrase.
That's all OP needed to know, let's call it a day.
Same in the UK.
yeah while i dont use it i definitely have heard it at least a few times
As well as 24,999 other idioms
Yes, and acceptable in all but very formal contexts
You mean i shouldn't say it at business meetings?
That’s fine. I meant contexts like legal writing or official communications from governments. A business meeting is an excellent time to use this phrase. You’ll be a hero :)
“Another meeting that should have been an email” vibes right here
This is funny AHAHAH
I actually suspect that 90% of “call it a day” is people leaving the last office meeting of the day! :D
As far as I understand, it’s derived from a work idiom anyway. The “day” being called is a complete work day, ie you are calling your effort a complete shift at the factory etc and going home.
business meetings are okay, and depending on the work, it’s pretty common and useful. Example: Just finished a major project: “Well we got that done, let’s call it a day and go home” Or if something isn’t coming together: “This just isn’t working, let’s call it a day and get back to it tomorrow.” like others have said, pretty much just avoid it in legal documents, but otherwise it’s fine.
You can say it at work. I probably won't use it in legal documents.
Also common in Australia.
And the UK. Seems to be one of the rare things ubiquitous across each of us!
I would use it when deciding to stop something for the day. in the second example in this image, as the scope is greater than a day, I'd be more inclined toward "call it quits".
Yes. I do want to mention that the second example given in the picture is either very rare, incorrect, or needs more context. "Call it a day" is almost exclusively used to mean to be done for a single day. One may "call it a day" but return to continue tomorrow. Or one may "call it a day" because the task is complete. This seems to imply that she is retiring or moving to a different country. I would not use this phrase in that context.
Yea, I felt the same way. I don't think it's such a terrible use that people would care, but it's definitely intended for situations where you want to stop doing a somewhat short term task for a small period of time (til the next day, or over a weekend, or until the next meeting), and not something long term like a career until... Forever?
Yes, but the second example is not a good example. Because it implies that you'll get back to it tomorrow/ the next time you're scheduled to work Calling it a day on living and working in a country isn't something unless you're moving to another country permanently and then decide to move back a day later.
I agree it’s a bad example for learning how to use it but I think the sentence is emphasizing how it feels that she is leaving suddenly and seemingly carelessly, as if it’s just “calling it a day”.
Yeah, it's too big a thing to call it a day. I'd say she decided to "pack it in", though.
I’d say “pack it up” personally.
I might also say, "Let's call it," to end an activity. For example, if I were playing board games with friends, we'd just finished a game and it was late, I might say, "Alright, boys, it's 11:30 and I have to work early. Let's call it."
Time of death, 11:30pm
Yes! I often use a similar statement: “Do you want to call it there?” Or “Let’s call it there.” These are informal statements that I use when finishing a long and sometimes incomplete activity (like a puzzle). Great question!
yes
Yes.
yeah
Absolutely common.
Yup! Very common and useful
Yep! “Call it quits” is also something I’ve heard used in place of that. Mostly for action or activity based.
Very common and well known in the UK and Ireland too.
It's common enough that you can just say "call it" and people will know what you mean. "Alright, I'm good, shall we call it?"
In the beginning, God said "let there be light." God saw that the light was good, and separated it from the darkness. An angel said, "that's really cool. What are you going to do next?" God replied, "I'm going to call it a day."
yes
Very common
Yes
Absolutely
What website is this?
Cambridge Dictionary
Yes it’s said fairly often here.
In addition to “call it a day” we also use “call it a night.” That’s me, always the first person at a party to call it a night.
I think it's pretty common everywhere.
"Call it a day" has a finality to it. Whatever issues are you are walking away from. Whatever complaints there might be whatever former investment of time was. It is a very definitive way of saying "I'm Done" (perhaps to begin again later, perhaps not)
Very common. Sometimes you'll also hear "I'm calling it" to mean "I'm done with this", regardless of whether the thing they're doing is complete or not.
Yup. Also "hit the hay" is an alternative and one I've used a lot. Just means you're gonna go to bed early.
I’d make the distinction, though, that *calling it [a day/a night/etc.]* means being done with an activity for that time period but not necessarily done with all activities, while *hitting the hay* specifically refers to (getting ready for and) going to bed for the day/night.
Yep
Yes, it's pretty common. Usually it is used pretty literally, so more like the first example there than the second. Like if you are doing an activity for a day, you "call it a day" when you finish.
how is such a common phrase considered c2 level
yes
Yes; it is very frequently used!
The etymology is interesting. It was originally “call it a half-day” (1838) which was an expression used by shift workers who could leave work early and still be paid for a half-day. It began to be used more widely to mean “stop work” and by 1919 it became “call it a day”. It began to be used beyond the “working day” context too. It even spread to the night in the similar phrase “let’s call it a night”.
Yes, it's very common.
Yes. Another common phrase that means the same thing is "Let's wrap it up."
Yep. Speaker of mostly British English here… I’ve used it myself when I want the meeting to wrap up but my guys are still hashing out ideas at 5:15pm.
Yup, super common. Used it yesterday when i was finished working.
Yes, it is very common
It seems like the last paragraph is more related to suicide than stopping working for the day
Yes, it is common.
Yes
Yes, but in specific situations.
I say it at work all the time. Troubleshooting in the late afternoon usually leads to me saying “let’s call it a day”.
Yep. I probably use it most weeks and would probably use it more often if I wasn't working from home so often.
Yes
Extremely common.
This phrase is very common in media. Not so much in spoken english. If you say it everyone will know what you mean very clearly, but it may seem a bit expository to your audience. I don't think it would be off putting at all, though. If anything it may be endearing.
Very common - as people have mentioned, you can also say "Call it a night" depending on the time. Additionally, you might hear someone say, "I'm calling it," say for instance in a boxing match. One fighter's coach may "call it" and forfeit a match when they see their fighter unable to continue. This comes from physicians calling or declaring someone's time of death. A really common example you'll probably hear over here is: Person 1: "Man, it's almost 4 AM - think we should wrap up the party?" Person 2: "Yep, call it."
That phrase works in the UK too fyi
Very common here in the UK as well!
Some have mentioned this already, but in addition to meaning “finish up for the day” it can also mean you’re not putting any more effort into a task, for example: “just wrap it in duct tape and call it a day”
It's pretty common here in Australia too. The best usage of it is towards the end of a work day when you've been working up until the last minute, especially when talking with coworkers past your finish time. Example: "Well, it's been great talking to you but it's 5 minutes past my finish time now, so I'm gonna **call it a day** and head home. See ya!" Similarly, "call it a night" is used at night/dusk. When said in the household where you're sleeping that night, it means "I'm gonna do my bedtime routine (shower, toilet, medicine, etc), then go lay down in bed." If you say it while you're not at home, it means "I'm gonna finish what I'm doing here and head home."
Yes.
Yes
Yep, it's pretty common.
Oh, yeah. Very common phrase.
I say it a lot.
Heard it a lot on tv
Yeah, it's a very common phrase. You can also call it a night.
Yep!
app name?
Cambridge Dictionary, a site
Yes
I don't hear it often where I live but everyone knows what it means
Yes very common
Yes, this is a common expression. However, I would say it’s used less commonly (or possibly only facetiously) when the thing you’ve decided to stop doing is something you’ve been doing for longer than an actual day, such as in the second example.
yes. It truly is
Yes! Often at the end of the work day :)
In the UK it is generally referring to that specific work day, and can have either a positive or negative connotation. Oh, I finished that report 15 minutes early, I think I'll call it a day here. Or. It has been raining for three hours straight this afternoon, I don't think we'll be able to get any more work done today, let's call it a day.
You could also say that you are calling it a night before going to bed
I use it every day fsr