What Does "The Jig Is Up" Mean?
"The jig is up" is an English idiom indicating that a deception, secret, or hidden agenda has been exposed or discovered, and there is no longer any chance of success or concealment.Examples in Sentences
Here are three examples of the idiom "the jig is up" used in a sentence:- They had been faking their qualifications for years, but when the authorities investigated, the jig was up.
- The cheating scandal rocked the academic institution, and the jig was up for the students involved.
- The company's fraudulent activities went undetected for a while, but eventually, the jig was up, and legal action followed.

What Is an Idiom?
An idiom is a commonly used expression whose meaning does not relate to the literal meaning of its words. In other words, if you were to translate "The Jig Is Up" word for word, there is no guarantee the translation would help you to understand the meaning.An idiom often includes a cultural or historical context that makes it difficult for non-native English speakers to understand. A phrase is classified as an idiom when a direct translation of the words does not reveal the meaning. Most idioms rely on shared knowledge or experiences known only to a specific community.
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