the jig is up

the jig is up

The plan or scheme has been discovered and/or thwarted; the game, trick, or deception is at an end. The jig is up, Smith! The police found your fingerprints all over the safe. We tried to smuggle a kitten into the house, but when mom saw me carrying a saucer of milk, I knew that the jig was up.
See also: jig, up
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

jig is up

See game is up.
See also: jig, up
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

the jig is up

AMERICAN, INFORMAL
If the jig is up, someone can no longer do something wrong or illegal because someone has found out about it. They had been taking money from residents, but they knew the jig was up when one of them contacted the police. Compare with the game is up.
See also: jig, up
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

the jig is up

the scheme or deception is revealed or foiled. North American informal
The sense of jig here dates from the late 16th century and means ‘jest’ or ‘trick’. The jig is over is recorded from the late 18th century in the USA and the usual modern version with up appeared only slightly later.
See also: jig, up
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

the jig is up

phr. the game is ended; the scheme has been found out. Okay, you kids. The jig’s up!
See also: jig, up
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • game is up
  • game is up, the
  • the game is up
  • (one's) jig is up
  • jig
  • jig is up
  • gig
  • goat's jig
  • in jig time
  • play tricks on
References in classic literature
"As long as it was only stolen there was a chance to get it back, but if it's burned, the jig is up."
Tom Swift In The Land Of Wonders
These feisty battlers always get down when the jig is up. So get out there with your light tackle.
Grits, grunts & grins: praise and whimsy for the unsung saltwater panfish