all in a day's work

all in a day's work

Meaning | Synonyms

• refers to the work that is done regularly by someone
• all part of one's normal routine or job or range of experience
• used to say that you have no problem doing something because it is part of your daily activities or job

Example Sentences

1. Teaching difficult students might sound like a nightmare to other people but to teachers it is all in a day's work.
2. Cleaning up after five children is all in a day's work for the stay at home mom.
3. Working 60 hours a week is not an easy feat, but for the doctor it is all in a day's work.
4. The electric man, Winston worked in heavy rains to restore all the power lines, but it's all in a day's work.
5. Even when she is not sad, crying all in a day's work for my wife.

Origin

There are sources that believe the phrase originated in the 1800s. It is said to be in reference to the nautical term “a day's work” defined in 1789 as the reckoning of a ship's course during the 24 hours from noon to noon. Sailors had to use the sun and moon to navigate in order to stay on course. This seemed like a strange and difficult task to others but to the sailors it was just part of their normal routine. This is possibly why it is used to describe a task that others find unpleasant.

The first example of the idiom that can be found is from 1926. It was printed in a text called ‘Printed Ink' as:

“For them it was all in a day's work to run a regular passenger train from Chicago to Denver, …”