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What Does the Idiom "a Day Late and a Dollar Short" Mean?
The idiom "a day late and a dollar short" generally means that someone has both missed an opportunity and been inexcusably unprepared for it. A briefer translation of this saying could be "too late and too little." It can also refer to an unfavorable review of a person's efforts as poorly timed and too inadequate to make any improvements to a given outcome. This phrase is often characterized as one of the English sayings that place underlying importance on time and money. Preparation and organization are usually highly valued in cultures that use these kinds of idiomatic expressions.
Sayings such as this frequently express somewhat negative feelings towards another person, namely disappointment and even frustration. Meanings of idioms are usually unique to a certain language, and English is no exception. The words and phrasing of "a day late and a dollar short" may often seem confusing at first to a non-native speaker. Linguistic definitions of idioms generally characterize them as having words whose direct meanings are not immediately obvious. Even though many second language English learners may at first find this kind of idiom difficult to understand, many of them still want to learn its correct use in order to speak the language more naturally.
Idiomatic expressions are also sometimes spoken euphemistically when the speaker prefers to stay polite or sometimes politically correct. Telling someone that he or she is "a day late and a dollar short" is often perceived as kinder than directly saying that he or she is habitually late, disorganized, careless with time management, and even inconsiderate of others. Since a day is a relatively short amount of time and a dollar is a relatively small amount of money, this idiom generally implies that someone is rather close but still not quite good enough to measure up. The phrase can also sometimes be interpreted as a subtle admonition to adequately prepare for and fulfill given responsibilities and others' expectations.
The phrase has its origins in the United States, although it is somewhat unclear exactly when this idiomatic expression first became part of the common American English language. Some researchers suggest that it dates back at least a century. The phrase has also appeared in several pop culture references, including book and song titles that date back several decades.
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![Someone who has been unprepared for an opportunity and misses it can be said to be "a day late and a dollar short."]()
By: Danilo RizzutiSomeone who has been unprepared for an opportunity and misses it can be said to be "a day late and a dollar short." -
![The expression, "a day late and a dollar short," points out the emphasis sometimes places on time and money.]()
By: mudretsovThe expression, "a day late and a dollar short," points out the emphasis sometimes places on time and money. -
!["A day late and a dollar short" sometimes expresses a person's disappointment or frustration.]()
By: Innovated Captures"A day late and a dollar short" sometimes expresses a person's disappointment or frustration.
Discussion Comments
Government Agencies, are always a day late, and a dollar short. When they arrive in their offices they ask themselves one tough question: "What will I have for breakfast?"
@literally45-- Yes there is-- A Day Late and a Dollar Short by Terry McMillan. I think I have it lying around the house somewhere.
I'm not much into novels so I didn't read the whole book. I read the first few chapters and from what I remember the story was about the main character being hospitalized and her different family members coming to visit her.
I think the title of the book is about the opinion the main character has of her relatives. I think she believes that they are a day late and a dollar short about their relationship.
Isn't there a novel with this name?
I can say this idiom for some of the projects that US agencies carry out overseas.
As part of my job, I read lessons learned reviews of US development projects in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some of them are carried out well and really have a positive impact on the communities there. But some are truly a day late and a dollar short. Either the activities are inadequate, or they're carried out when there is no longer a need for it.
For example, there was one place in Afghanistan where US agencies installed electricity even though it was there. People who were there said that this town was literally lit up like a Christmas tree.
My coworker was always a day late and a dollar short. Everyone knew it, and the boss even told him this during a performance review.
He blamed everyone else and the entire system at work for his shortcomings. However, it didn't work, because everyone else had managed to be on time and produce quality work, despite the poor scheduling and deadline setup.
@StarJo – I used to always be both a dollar and a day late or short, like you are. I finally decided to do something about it.
My friends and family were fed up with me having to borrow money from them or pay them later, and they stopped inviting me on trips and excursions, because I always showed up late. I decided to get a system going to prevent myself from being a burden and a disappointment to others.
I started using the calendar on my wall as a reminder page. I checked it daily, and if I had to be somewhere in a few hours, I would set the alarm on my phone to remind me when I needed to leave in order to get there on time.
As far as the money situation went, I started using a debit card instead of carrying cash. With cash, I could not keep myself from being a dollar short, but if I used my card, I would have access to that extra dollar or two that I always seemed to need.
This phrase describes me perfectly, unfortunately. It seems that every time I go out to eat with friends and it comes time to pay for my food, I am short a dollar or two.
Also, it seems that whenever I finally decide to use coupons, they expired the day before! I chalk it up to bad luck.
Some people are accident prone or magnets to tragedy. I just seem to be perpetually held back and running behind both time and money.
My uncle used this phrase a lot, but he tried to make it his own by turning it around backward. He would say, “a dollar short and a day late.” People always looked at him funny when he said this, because it caused momentary confusion.
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