the day of reckoning


day of reckoning

The day on which something must be confronted or becomes unavoidable. This term originated in the Bible. Well, it's the day of reckoning now—whether you studied or not, you have to take the test.See also: of, reckoning

the day of reckoning

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a day of reckoning

The day of reckoning or a day of reckoning, is a time when people are forced to deal with an unpleasant situation which they have avoided until now. The day of reckoning has arrived. You can't keep writing checks on a bank account that doesn't have any money in it. We consulted a sympathetic attorney, and prepared for a day of reckoning. Note: According to the Bible, when the world ends, there will be a day of reckoning, when God will judge everyone's actions and send them either to heaven or hell. See also: of, reckoning

day of reckoning

the time when past mistakes or misdeeds must be punished or paid for; a testing time when the degree of your success or failure will be revealed. This expression refers to the Day of Judgement, on which, according to Christian tradition, human beings will have to answer to God for their transgressions.See also: of, reckoning

the day of ˈreckoning

(formal) the time when good actions, successes, etc. or bad actions, failures, etc. will be made known and punished or rewarded: Tomorrow is the day of reckoning; the accountant will tell me what my profits were and how much tax I’ll have to pay.See also: of, reckoning

day of reckoning

The time when one is called to account. The idea no doubt comes from the biblical Day of Judgment, when Jesus is supposed to return to earth for God’s final sentence on mankind. The day of reckoning came to have a somewhat more benign meaning, referring to paying one’s debts, or accounting for one’s actions. The expression became common in the nineteenth century. “There will be a day of reckoning sooner or later,” wrote Dickens (Nicholas Nickleby, 1838).See also: of, reckoning