die is cast, the

Idioms  

1. The decision or course of action has been determined and cannot be changed. For example, Now that I've announced my resignation, the die is cast. This expression comes from the Latin Iacta alea est, “the dice have been thrown,” which according to Suetonius was said by Julius Caesar when he crossed the Rubicon and invaded Italy in 49 b.c. In English it dates from the first half of the 1600s.

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Example Sentences

The die is cast, the secret is out.

From Golf Digest • Feb. 15, 2018

But when the die is cast, the Mexican public will be looking for some sign that a democratic opening is on the agenda for Mexico's future leader.

From Time Magazine Archive

"For Ridgway, the die is cast," the iron voice went on.

From Ridgway of Montana (Story of To-Day, in Which the Hero Is Also the Villain) by Raine, William MacLeod

The die is cast; the book is written, to be read either now or by posterity I care not which.

From The Astronomy of Milton's 'Paradise Lost' by Orchard, Thomas Nathaniel

The die is cast, the deed is half done; let it be fully and boldly consummated.

From History of the Rise of the Huguenots Volume 2 by Baird, Henry Martyn