the die is cast
Spotted in the wild:
- Unlike in a machine shop, where a part being machined can be checked for the dimensions during the process and corrected until the required results (dimensions) are obtained, in an iron foundry, metal derives its properties during cooling, and measuring and making changes during this period is not possible. Thus, once the metal is poured into the mould, the die is cast, literally! (Industrial Heating, Oct 01, 2002)
- Mr. Pendlebury just happens to operate a modest die casting business, one whose specialty is producing paperweights, one perfectly suited for Holland’s needs. Soon the die is cast (so to speak), and the pieces are in place, but, as everyone knows, even the best-laid plans are subject to disaster once in the implementation stage as the human element is always the most unpredictable. (Amazon customer review, May 11, 2005)
Analyzed or reported by:
- Arnold Zwicky (Postcards from eggcornea, on Language Log, September 06, 2004)
- Evan Morris (Word Detective, March 6, 2000)
1
Commentary by Rod Williams , 2005/10/11 at 2:00 am
The phrase is a translation of what Suetonius quoted Julius Caesar saying when he crossed the Rubicon in 49 BCE, “alia iacta est.” It’s been way too long since my last Latin class, but I do recall my teacher explaining that “alia” was a gaming cube similar to what we would call a die (singular of dice). “Iacta est” means “has been thrown.” It’s got nothing to do with molds.
2
Commentary by Chris Waigl , 2005/10/11 at 2:09 am
“Alea iacta est”, in fact. Note that the Eggcorn Database is about popular, sporadic reinterpretations of words or idioms. We don’t claim it has anything to do with moulds. We just document the fact that a certain number of English speakers do. The very fact that this entry appears here indicates that the explanation is non-standard. Or in this case, historically inaccurate.
3
Commentary by Nigel Pond , 2005/10/11 at 9:32 pm
“Cast” can be synonymous with “thrown” as in “cast the first stone”, so the “traditional” translation of the expression as “the die is cast” is absolutely correct, it just has nothing to do with metal casting/moulding.
4
Commentary by Jim McCrudden , 2005/11/07 at 7:52 pm
Die is cast.
It has to be a die as in gaming cube. A die is a tool for shaping other tools. You will find its functions as in ‘tap and die’. A tap cuts internal threads in a nut, a die cuts external threads in a bolt.
The point is that a tool with this function was not cast (as in metal poured into a mold) it had to be machined, casting would never be precise enough or strong enough. Think of cast iron as distinct from wrought iron. Cast iron is too brittle. I have frequently heard tradesmen curse a broken part of a tool as ‘bloody cast shit’
5
Commentary by Marnen Laibow-Koser , 2006/07/20 at 6:55 pm
FWIW, it is possible that at least the first two examples in this article were meant as deliberate puns rather than eggcorns. However, it is easy to see how the popularity of “die-cast metal” and the obsolescence of “cast” (=throw) leads to confusion here, and it’s particularly interesting to see writers becoming unsure on the etymology.
6
Commentary by David Groff , 2006/08/10 at 12:32 am
“The die is cast… and the colonies must either triumph or submit” is also famously attributed to King George, in refusing to negotiate compromises that might have averted, or at least forstalled, the American Revolution. Obviously talking in gambling terms.