ao fim e ao cabo

Literally: At the end and at the tip

Example: “Discutimos muito, mas ao fim e ao cabo ficámos em casa.” — We argued a lot, but at the end of the day we stayed home.

English equivalent: At the end of the day

Origin: Cabo, from Latin caput (head), also means the end or tip of something, as in a cape at the end of a coast. Ao fim e ao cabo doubles the word for end, "at the end and at the tip," to mean after all. Spanish has the same phrase, al fin y al cabo.