Would you like to imply that something has taken all day to complete, or that it was just something tedious or boring to begin with? The phrase 'all day long' is one that can be used for this, and the saying is common in the English language. This post unpacks the meaning, origin, and most common use of the phrase.
Meaning
The saying 'all day long' is a figurative (though sometimes literal) saying in the English language.
'All day long' is used to describe an action which is implied to have taken the whole day, or might have been so slow or tedious that it took up a large amount of time.
The implication of the saying 'all day long' can be either positive or negative.
The phrase in its figurative sense means that something simply took a very long time and not that it literally took all day.
The phrase can also be used in the denial form, to say that something 'didn't happen all day long'. The negative of the phrase can also be expressed as 'not all day long'.
A phrase that is sometimes used to imply a similar meaning is 'all night long'.
Both phrases have become cultural references, and they are often used as a pop culture reference (for example in films or songs).
Example Usage
“He said we were only going to watch a movie, but it was the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy and we were there all day long just to get halfway through.”
“It felt like we were at the restaurant all day long to get our order. I'm never going back there again!”
“The movie felt like it lasted all day long, even though it was only about three hours. Let's hope they don't make the sequel any longer than the first one.”
“If you don't know how long you're going to be in line for concert tickets, you should probably plan to be there all day long.”
Origin
According to some online language resources like StackExchange, popular use of the phrase 'all day long' dates from at least 2000 where the saying appeared in a New York Times article.
Other language resouces dispute this, and the phrase 'all day long' is likely to have been in use since at least the 1800s to refer to things that literally take the entire day to complete or finish.
The phrase 'all day long' was popular by the early 1900s, and still in regular use with no change in meaning into the 21st century.
The phrase 'all day long' and 'all night long' have been adopted as common cultural references, where it can be a saying seen in music, literature or movies.
The website Urban Dictionary records the phrase from 2009, even though earlier use of the term is apparent.
Phrases Similar to All Day Long
- All night long
Phrases Opposite to All Day Long
- A New York Minute
What is the Correct Saying?
- All day long
Ways People May Say All Day Long Incorrectly
There are several ways in which someone can misunderstand the phrase 'all day long', or misunderstand the meaning of the phrase.
The phrase is spelled as 'day long' and not 'daylong', as a 'daylong' is usually a reference to a tournament which lasts for most of the day.
Sometimes the phrase 'all day long' can imply that something was figuratively tedious, and not that something literally lasted all day.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase All Day Long
The correct way to use the phrase 'all day long' is to use the saying to imply something figurative that took a long time, or something literal that took most (or all) of the day to complete.
The phrase does not reference a specific frame of time, but implies that something took most of the day.