# call it stumps

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/call-it-stumps
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To decide to end an activity; to call it a day.

## Examples

- We have worked for ten hours, so let us call it stumps.
- I am tired of studying, so I will call it stumps now.
- You should call it stumps if your back hurts from gardening.
- After trying to fix the broken engine all afternoon, the team decided to call it stumps.
- The rain started to fall heavily during our hike, so we decided to call it stumps and head back to the car.
- Since the guests are starting to leave and the music has stopped, the hosts will call it stumps for the night.
- After three hours of arguing about the new budget without reaching a decision, the board members finally called it stumps.
- Recognizing that their efforts were yielding no further progress, the exhausted researchers finally called it stumps for the evening.

## Origin

A figurative extension of the cricket expression stumps, which signifies the conclusion of a day's play when the umpires remove the wickets from the ground. The phrase draws its logic from the physical extraction of the equipment to indicate that no further activity is permitted.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.