Monday, May 25, 2020

E-TIDBIT OF THE DAY: That's all she wrote

That's all she wrote is an American idiomatic expression that dates back to the Dear John Letters of World War II (WWII). As the story goes, there was a sad serviceman said to have received a letter that only had two words: Dear John. This became a joke among the soldiers. Some would receive a full-page letter, or just a few lines, or in the case of the sad serviceman who received just a two-word letter.

The expression that's all she wrote came to mean something that has ended or finished or something that has ended and there is nothing more to say about it.

Examples:
"We were just two days from completing a 5-week project, when our supplier informed us that the additional materials we needed were no longer in stock. Our deadline was almost up and we had no more time to look for another supplier, so...that was all she wrote!"


"Our house burnt down last week. We immediately called the fire department, but they took too long to get there and that was all she wrote!"

"John Smith, our champion Formula 1 sensation is neck-to-neck with Ted Campbell...Oh, oh no! His tire blew up just 200 meters from the finish line! He's out and that's all she wrote! What a stroke of bad luck! Ted Campbell, the new champion, has won, folks!"

"Out of 100 candidates, my son got the job! That's all she wrote!"


                                                                                                           Video: Personal Archives



Congratulations! You're that much closer to speaking excellent American English!



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