English idiom

see the light of day

Register · Neutral CEFR B2

Post

Figurative meaning

be created, published, or finally made available for people to see

Word picture

A hidden project is pictured as emerging from darkness into daylight where everyone can see it.

Example

“The documentary took six years to finish but finally saw the light of day in April.”

Dictionary details

Component words

see light day

Tags

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

make light of

to treat a serious matter as unimportant, often by joking about it

make light work of

to handle a demanding task quickly and effortlessly

save for a rainy day

to put money aside for future emergencies

all in a day's work

a task treated as routine because it belongs to someone's normal duties

light at the end of the tunnel

A sign that a difficult period may soon improve or end.

so far so good

used to say that things have gone well up to now

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

External links

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