day
all in a day's work (of something unusual or problematic) accepted as part of someone's normal routine or as a matter of course.
the ancient of Days: seeancient.
any day
1 at any time.
2 used to express your strong preference for something under any circumstances.
❷2003Royal Academy Magazine Give me Bruegel rather than Michelangelo any day.
as clear as day: seeclear.
at the end of the day: seeend.
back in the day in former times.
2018Isabelle GreyWrong Way Home If there was some kind of corrupt relationship between Owen and DI Jupp back in the day, maybe he still imagines the police are open to negotiation.
bad hair day: seebad.
call it a day decide or agree to stop doing something, either temporarily or permanently.
☞ This expression comes from the idea of having done a day's work; in the mid 19th century, the form was call it half a day.
carry (or win) the day be victorious or successful.
☞ The sense of day used here is 'the day's work on the field of battle'.
day in, day out continuously or repeatedly over a long period of time.
day of reckoning the time when past mistakes or misdeeds must be punished or paid for; a testing time when the degree of your success or failure will be revealed.
☞ This expression refers to the Day of Judgement, on which, according to Christian tradition, human beings will have to answer to God for their transgressions.
don't give up the day job used as a humorous way of recommending someone not to pursue an alternative career at which they are unlikely to be successful. informal
1996Charlie HigsonGetting Rid of Mr Kitchen 'You are the worst beggar I have ever encountered,' I said. 'Don't give up the day job.'
every dog has his day: seedog.
from day one from the very beginning.
2013New Zealand Herald For sudden deaths like this … they ought to go in with quite a suspicious mind from day one and treat it like a crime scene from the first moment.
give someone the time of day: seetime.
have had your (or its) day be no longer popular, successful, or influential.
have seen (or known) better days be in a worse state than in the past; have become old, worn-out, or shabby.
if he (or she) is a day at least (added to a statement about the age of a person or thing).
1992Shashi TharoorShow Business Lawrence must be fifty if he's a day.
in all my born days: seeborn.
in the cold light of day: seecold.
in this day and age at the present time.
2003Film Inside Out The idea of girls becoming a commodity, to be traded as slaves, seems totally alien in this day and age.
just another day at the office: seeoffice.
know the time of day: seetime.
late in the day: seelate.
make a day (or night) of it devote a whole day (or night) to an activity, typically an enjoyable one.
make someone's day make an otherwise ordinary or dull day pleasingly memorable for someone.
☞ The expression is particularly associated with the character 'Dirty Harry' (police detective Harry Callahan) played by Clint Eastwood in the film Sudden Impact (1983) who, when threatened by a criminal, points his gun at him and says 'Go ahead, make my day' (i.e. by giving Harry an excuse to shoot).
night and day: seenight.
not someone's day used to convey that someone has suffered a day of successive misfortunes. informal
1997A. SivanandanWhen Memory Dies He sighed inwardly, this was not his day.
the old days: seeold.
one of these days at some unspecified time in the future.
1924P.G. WodehouseUkridge 'Don't you worry, you'll get your money back … ' 'When?' 'One of these days,' said Ukridge, buoyantly. 'One of these days.'
one of those days a day when several things go wrong.
the order of the day: seeorder.
pass the time of day: seetime.
plain as day: seeplain.
a red letter day: seered.
Rome was not built in a day: seeRome.
save the day: seesave.
seize the day: seeseize.
someone's (or something's) days are numbered someone or something will not survive or remain in a position of power for much longer.
2001Business Asia Daewoo's former chairman Kim Woo Choong's days are numbered after Korean authorities issued a warrant for his arrest.
that will be the day something is very unlikely to happen. informal
1991Alistair CampbellSidewinder 'Now for my proposal, which you'll find irresistible.' 'That'll be the day.'
those were the days used to assert that a particular past time was better in comparison with the present.
1997Brenda CloughHow Like a God 'Those were the days,' Rob said. 'b.c.-before children! Remember?'
your salad days: seesalad.