Call it a day

Meaning

Decide to stop doing something, typically work, for the rest of the day.

Usage

Common in professional settings to signal wrapping up and resuming later.

Origin & History

Origin notes can vary by region and source; this page gives the commonly reported explanation and usage context.

Early 20th-century expression referencing the end of a worker’s shift or the day’s light.

Appears in labor-related novels of the 1920s; the phrasing spread into everyday usage by mid-century.