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Know your English | Where do we use the phrase ‘call it a day’? Premium
The Hindu
A column in The Hindu which helps you learn English
The word consists of four syllables; the first is pronounced like the word ‘skull’, while the second, sounds like the word ‘dug’. The following ‘e’ sounds like the ‘a’ in ‘china’, while the final ‘y’ is like the ‘i’ in ‘chit’, ‘knit’ and ‘spit’. The word is pronounced ‘skull-DUG-e-ri’ with the stress on ‘dug’. Some people reduce the word to three syllables by dropping the vowel in the third syllable. They pronounce the word ‘skull-DUG-ri’. The word comes from the Scottish ‘sculdudrie’ meaning ‘adultery’. This rather old-fashioned word is mostly used to refer to the dishonest activities or practices that an individual indulges in, in order to get ahead in life. It is also possible to spell the word ‘skullduggery’.
In politics, especially during elections, there is always skulduggery going on.
The CEO of our company was found guilty of financial skulduggery.
I didn’t expect skulduggery to be going on in an educational institution.
This is an expression that has been in existence for over two centuries, and it is mostly limited to informal contexts. When you have been working on something for some time, and decide to ‘call it a day’, what you are suggesting is that you will stop doing the activity for the rest of the day — you will perhaps return to it the following day or a few days later.
We’ve been packing all day, and I’m just exhausted. I’d like to call it a day.
We still have so much work to do. There’s no way I’m going to call it a day.