Question

Choose the option that replaces the underlined phrase with the correct idiomatic expression.
He was at the prime of his career when he called a day off.
a- called off a day
b- called it a day
c- was called off for a day
d- called it off for a day

Answer 1

Hint: Idioms are a group of words or a phrase that has a different meaning in comparison to the literal meaning of its words. Idioms represent metaphorical and symbolic meanings.

Complete answer:
 The idiom, ‘call it a day’ refers to putting an end or stop to something because one thinks one has done enough for the time being.
The idiom, ‘call it a day’ was first used in 1838 in the sense, ‘call it half a day’. It was used by workers and employees to bid farewell to their work and jobs after an entire day of work.
We know the meaning and the origin of the idiom, ‘call it a day’. Now, let’s look at its usage:
Example- The boss called it a day after a long week of work. Here, we can understand that the boss decided to put an end or stop to the work after a long week of work.
In the given question- X decided to give up his career even though he was at the prime of his career.
Let’s examine the given options-
Option a- ‘called off a day’ is not an idiom. Call off refers to cancelling or diverting something. ‘Called off a day’ does not match the context of the above given sentence. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option b- ‘Called it a day’ is an idiom that refers to putting an end to something. ‘Called it a day’ matches the context of the above-given sentence. Hence, it is the correct option.
Option c- ‘Was called off for a day’ is not an idiom. Call off refers to cancelling something. ‘Was called off for a day’ does not match the context of the above given sentence. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option d- ‘Called it off for a day’ refers to cancelling something for a day. ‘Called it off for a day’ does not match the context of the above-given sentence. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
The correct answer is Option ‘b’.
Note:
It is important to be aware of idioms and their purpose. Some commonly used synonyms for the given idiom are; surrender, give up, give in, etc.