| 释义 |
call it quits, to call it quits1. To stop working. I've still got a few jobs to do around the ranch before I can call it quits for the day.2. To end a partnership of some kind, often a romantic relationship. I'm so sad to hear that Mara and John called it quits—I thought those two would be together forever.3. To abandon a particular pursuit. Luke dreamed of playing pro basketball, but he had to call it quits after a serious knee injury.4. To acknowledge that a debt has been paid. Thank you for paying me back—now we can call it quits.See also: call, quitscall it quitsto quit; to resign from something; to announce that one is quitting. Okay! I've had enough! I'm calling it quits. Time to go home, John. Let's call it quits.See also: call, quitscall it quitsStop working, abandon something, give up, as in John is calling it quits for now or This ground is far too stony for a garden so I'm calling it quits. This idiom comes from cry quits, dating from the 1600s and meaning "declare even" or "get even." The verb call was substituted in the late 1800s. Also see call it a day. See also: call, quitscall it quits INFORMAL1. If you call it quits, you decide to stop doing something or stop being involved in something. The disco stays open until the last customer is ready to call it quits. He and Moira had finally called it quits.2. If you call it quits, you agree with someone else that neither person owes the other money. I'll give you twenty pounds and we'll call it quits.See also: call, quitscall it quits 1 agree or acknowledge that terms are now equal, especially on the settlement of a debt. 2 decide to abandon an activity or venture, especially so as to cut your losses. The origin of the -s in quits is uncertain: the word may be an abbreviation of the medieval Latin quittus , meaning ‘discharged’, which was used on receipts to indicate that something had been paid for. The phrase is recorded from the late 19th century, but an earlier form, cry quits , dates back to the mid 17th century.See also: call, quitscall it ˈquits (informal) decide to end an argument, a disagreement, etc. at a point where both sides are equal: I know I upset you, but you said some nasty things to me too. Can’t we just call it quits and try to forget it? OPPOSITE: even the scoreSee also: call, quits call it quits Informal To stop working or trying; quit.See also: call, quitscall it quits, toTo stop doing something, either permanently or temporarily. Quits here has the meaning of acquittal or discharge, that is, release from obligation; the implication is that one has done enough and so has discharged one’s obligation. American in origin, the expression appears in a letter of Jack London’s (1898): “Tomorrow I would cut my throat and call quits with the whole cursed business.”See also: call |