siː ðə laɪt əv deɪ
General
neutral
intermediate
- Literally:
- Being exposed to daylight
What does "see the light of day" mean?
- To be made public or come into existence
- To be completed or released
Examples
- The report never saw the light of day.
- I doubt this project will ever see the light of day.
- After years of development, the product finally saw the light of day.
Origin
From birth—emerging from darkness to see light. Also from projects emerging from development.
How to use it
Often used in negative contexts about cancelled projects. Also used for suppressed information.
Similar expressions
be released
be published
come to fruition
emerge
Opposites
remain hidden
stay secret
be shelved
Related idioms
- actions speak louder than words
What people do is more important than what they say
- better safe than sorry
It's better to be careful and prevent problems than to take risks
- so far so good
Things have gone well up to now
- easier said than done
Something is more difficult to do than to talk about
- make a long story short
To summarize or get to the point
- to make matters worse
In addition to existing problems
Use it in a practice answer
Try "see the light of day" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.