(the|that) ship has (long|) sailed
1
used to say that an offer or possibility is not renewable or available any more
The phrase "the ship has sailed" is an idiom used to convey that an opportunity or a chance for a particular action or event has passed, and it is no longer feasible or relevant. The origin of this phrase relates to the idea that once a ship has departed from a harbor, it becomes increasingly difficult or impossible to catch up to it.
- If you were hoping to ask Mollie out, that ship has long sailed—she's going to the dance with Peter.
- He wanted to invest in that company years ago, but the ship has long sailed, and the stock price has skyrocketed.
- She realized that her chance to study abroad had passed; the ship had sailed, and she couldn't join the program now.
- They had considered buying the beachfront property, but they delayed the decision, and now it's too expensive; the ship has sailed.
- He thought about confessing his feelings, but now she's in a committed relationship with someone else; the ship has sailed on that romance.