IdiomDaily LifeEnglish

someone's days are numbered

Meaning: There is only a short time before something ends.

Example: “With the new highway being built, the little roadside diner's days are numbered.”

Origin: Echoes the Book of Daniel (5:26), where the writing on the wall at Belshazzar's feast is read as "God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it." The phrase for a limited time remaining is common from the 19th century.

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