day in the sun
3
4.4
- idiom
:
día de reconocimiento
- The small band had their day in the sun when they topped the charts for a week.
- enjoy a day in the sun
- get a day in the sun
This is his day in the sun, and he's still playing chess.
- This is his day in the sun, and he's still playing chess.
- And remember, this was not just Joe Biden's, you know, day in the sun.
Examples
-
We, formerly technically competent types, did have our day in the sun.
Blog text (32) -
Let them have their day in the sun.
Blog text (11) -
Our day in the sun is coming.
Blog text (14) -
I'll have my day in the sun.
-
We'll have our day in the sun nonetheless.
Blog text (22) -
They have had their day in the sun in the second half of the noughties.
Blog text (1) -
Dr. Paul brought a platform for smaller government to the party that claimed to be the party of smaller government, and the oligarchs cheated him out of his day in the sun.
Blog text (24) -
On the one hand, I am happy for Whitney Kropp—that she had her day in the sun and felt special.
Blog text (22) -
After years of hard work, she finally had her day in the sun at the awards ceremony.
-
After many struggles, it's nice to see him having a day in the sun with his new book.
Synonyms
∞
3.0
A time in the past when something was more common or popular
6
5.3
A short time when someone gets attention or success
2
4.9
A situation where someone has success, respect, and happiness after long effort
A day you remember because it was very happy or important
Antonyms
How Recognized
45
4.4
106
2.8
439
1.0
3
4.4
141
3.4
33
7.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase uses a simple compositional image—a 'day' spent 'in the sun'—so a learner who knows the words can infer a sense of visible, favorable attention; however the meaning 'a period of success or recognition' is a metaphorical extension rather than a literal spatial relation and is not fully predictable from the parts. Because the mapping from 'sun' to fame/attention is figurative (though cross-linguistically attested), the expression is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Day in the sun may come from the picture of someone stepping out into bright light so everyone can see them; a day in the sun makes you visible and noticed. That's why it now means a short time of 'success' or 'attention' after being unknown.