enough is enough en · X
Pronunciation
- /iˌnʌf‿ɪz iˈnʌf/ (General-American)
- /ə-/ (General-American)
- /ɪˌnʌf‿ɪz ɪˈnʌf/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Compare Dutch genoeg is genoeg, German genug ist genug, Yiddish גענוג איז גענוג (genug iz genug, “enough is enough”).
Meanings
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One should be satisfied; nothing additional is required.
Here is enough, I am satisfied, (sayd he). / Since enough is enough, (sayd I), here may we / With that one word take end good, as may be geast: / For folke say, enough is as good as a feast.
1546, John Heywood, chapter XI, in Julian Sharman, editor, The Proverbs of John Heywood. […], London: George Bell and Sons, […], published 1874, →OCLC, part II, page 173:Learning is better than house or land. As for money, enough is enough; no man can enjoy more; and the less he can be contented with the wiser and better he is likely to be.
1834, Robert Southey, “Chapter XX. P.I. How to Make Gold.”, in The Doctor, &c., volume I, London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longman, →OCLC, page 199:"Are n't you going to get any more while we have the chance?" grumbled Reddy. "Enough is enough," retorted Granny.
1920, Thornton W[aldo] Burgess, “A Dinner for Two”, in Old Granny Fox, New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, →OCLC, page 173:Other administration officials have hinted the dollar may have to fall further, but President [Ronald] Reagan says enough is enough. "We're not doing anything to bring it down," Reagan said Tuesday in comments that sparked a slight dollar rally. "I don't look for a further decline, don't want a further decline from where it is right now."
1987 November 11, “Reagan on dollar fall: ‘Enough is enough’”, in Southeast Missourian, volume 83, number 342, Cape Girardeau, Mo.: Rust Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1, column 3:
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Especially as an expression of exasperation: the limit of patience or tolerance has been reached.
With every new indignity served upon the United States by the fanatical Fidel Castro comes an immediate, and lasting, impulse to declare that enough is enough.
1961 January 4, Lee Mortimer, “Why not sever all Cuban ties?”, in Glen O. Long, editor, Spartanburg Herald-Journal, volume 71, number 2, Spartanburg, S.C.: Phil Buchheit, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 4, column 2:What message are we sending our children? That they are not worthy of a basic & simple infrastructure. That they cannot be allowed the freedom to dream of a better way of learning, and a better way of life? […] Enough is enough! It is time for decisive leadership and immediate action.
2013 September 25, Desmond Tutu, “Every Child Deserves a Quality Education”, in Forbes, New York, N.Y.: Forbes, Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 11 Sep 2022:On behalf of all the long-suffering passengers on the West Coast Main Line, enough is enough. Avanti needs to be put out of its misery … and soon.
2023 February 22, Tom Harmon, “Open Access: Time for Action on Resolving Avanti’s West Coast Woes”, in Rail, number 977, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 62:“I want a crime bill that grabs violent criminals by the throat,” Mr. [Phil] Gramm said. […] “I am for rehabilitation. But there reaches a point where you've got to say, ‘Enough is enough.’”
1994 January 22, Richard L. Berke, “G.O.P. sees crime as a major issue”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 11 Sep 2022, section 1, page 9:The "continued exclusion of Taiwan from the UN system is not only unwise, unjust and unfair, but also is a blatant violation of the principles of universality and self-determination as enshrined in the UN Charter, and must be rectified immediately," they [organizations representing overseas Taiwanese communities] said. "The time is now for the United Nations and the rest of the world to jointly stand up against China and its lawless and out-of-control bullying of Taiwan," they said, adding: "Enough is Enough."
2022 September 11, Lee Hsin-fang, Jonathan Chin, “Letter calls for Taiwan’s UN inclusion”, in Taipei Times, Taipei, Taiwan: The Liberty Times Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 11 Sep 2022, page 1:
Synonyms
enough is as good as a feast · enough is too much
Translations (49)
es ya basta (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · es ya es suficiente (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · it quando è troppo è troppo (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · pt já basta! (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · mk до́волно е (one should be satisfied; nothing additional is required) · cy dyna hen ddigon (one should be satisfied; nothing additional is required) · fi liika on liikaa (one should be satisfied; nothing additional is required) · ru хоро́шенького понемно́жку (one should be satisfied; nothing additional is required) · sv det räcker (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · hy հերիք եղավ, բոլ եղավ (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · fr il suffit (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · fr ça suffit (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · de das Maß ist voll (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · fi mitta on täysi (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · it nulla da aggiungere (one should be satisfied; nothing additional is required) · hu ami sok, az sok (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · tl tama na (one should be satisfied; nothing additional is required) · ar طَفَحَ الْكَيْلُ (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · sv nu får det vara nog (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · sv nu är det nog (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · cmn 適可而止 /适可而止 (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · pl miarka się przebrała (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · sv nu räcker det (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · cy dyna ddigon (one should be satisfied; nothing additional is required) · cmn 夠了 /够了 (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · cy digon yw digon (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · fi jo riittää (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · pt já é o suficiente (one should be satisfied; nothing additional is required) · tl tama na (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · ru с меня́ хва́тит (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · sv måttet är rågat (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · cy dyna hen ddigon (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · cy digon yw digon (one should be satisfied; nothing additional is required) · yi גענוג איז גענוג (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · fr c'en est assez (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · de genug ist genug (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · fr trop c'est trop (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · de genug ist genug (one should be satisfied; nothing additional is required) · pt basta! (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · cy dyna ddigon (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · pl wystarczy (one should be satisfied; nothing additional is required) · fi liika on liikaa (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · fr ça commence à bien faire (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · de jetzt schlägt's dreizehn (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · pt já chega! (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · ar بَلَغَ السَّيْلُ الزُّبَى (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · hu ennyi elég (volt) (one should be satisfied; nothing additional is required) · de es reicht jetzt (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached) · no nok er nok (limit of patience or tolerance has been reached)