the die is cast

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

a decision has been made that is irreversible and will set in motion a chain of consequences that cannot now be undone; the phrase is attributed to Julius Caesar, who reportedly said Alea iacta est — the die is cast — upon crossing the Rubicon River with his army in 49 BCE, an act of treason against the Roman Senate that made civil war inevitable; the metaphor derives from dice, which once thrown cannot be recalled and whose result must be accepted; the phrase is used whenever a decisive and irreversible commitment has been made — a ballot cast, a letter sent, a business venture launched — after which the actor must accept the consequences of their choice and cannot retreat to the safety of indecision