Idiom
that's all she wrote
Meaning
Indicating an abrupt termination of a project, or of one’s hopes or plans.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The engine died, and that's all she wrote.”
“My old laptop screen turned black, and that's all she wrote.”
“We ran out of money halfway through the project, so that's all she wrote.”
“I missed the last bus home and didn't have enough money for a taxi, so that's all she wrote for my night out.”
“The rain started pouring down right as we began the outdoor wedding ceremony, and that's all she wrote for the garden party.”
“When the final investor withdrew his support, the startup collapsed, and that's all she wrote for their ambitious expansion plans.”
Examples
simple
“The engine died, and that's all she wrote.”
“My old laptop screen turned black, and that's all she wrote.”
contextual
“We ran out of money halfway through the project, so that's all she wrote.”
“I missed the last bus home and didn't have enough money for a taxi, so that's all she wrote for my night out.”
“The rain started pouring down right as we began the outdoor wedding ceremony, and that's all she wrote for the garden party.”
complex
“When the final investor withdrew his support, the startup collapsed, and that's all she wrote for their ambitious expansion plans.”
Origin
The origin of the phrase is uncertain, though it is widely thought to be a reference to the Dear John letters sent to servicemen. It emerged in the early 20th century, with a printed reference appearing in the Brownsville Herald in June 1935. Ernest Tubb later recorded a song titled "That's All She Wrote," with the sheet music published in 1942, but the expression had already entered the American lexicon as a shorthand for an abrupt and final conclusion.
Key words
Related idioms
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