that's all she wrote
1
9.2
- idiom
- Informal
:
y eso es todo
- "That's all she wrote," said Craig.
Examples
-
I'm afraid that's all she wrote, boys.
-
That's all she wrote, folks.
-
I finished my presentation, and that's all she wrote.
-
After that last mistake, that's all she wrote for his chance at the job.
-
The project was canceled, and that’s all she wrote.
Synonyms
37
5.1
A final decision that cannot be changed or discussed
1
5.3
A phrase that shows a decision is final and cannot be discussed
This is all you get
How Final
- Archaic
- Informal
37
5.1
- Informal
1
5.3
- Informal
1
9.2
- Informal
5
2.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'there is nothing more to be said or done' does not follow from the literal meanings of 'that is', 'all', 'she', and 'wrote' — the phrase is idiomatic and historically tied to a metaphorical usage of writing which is not transparent. A B1 learner who knows the individual words would not reliably infer this finality without prior exposure, so the expression is unpredictable and language-specific.
Etymology
That's all she wrote may come from old short letters or radio messages. Imagine reading a brief note where she had finished what she wrote and there was nothing else on the page — 'the end' — so the phrase now means 'there is nothing more to be said or done'.