that’s the end of the ball game—there is nothing one can do any more about a situation:
- We had some lousy management that blew away what little we had—that was the end of the ball game.
Cf.: be still in the ball game—be still active; be still a part of the action:
- The governor is still in the ball game. He can point to a number of successes, so he can be a creditable campaigner.
that’s the end of the line —(also: that’s the end of the road) this is the last point or stage:
- Most people just go to classified ads and think that’s the end of the line in terms of looking for a job.
Note: Neither expression is equivalent in meaning to the phrase that’s the end of it—nothing more needs to be said or done about a situation:
- If people were good enough to bring a gift, then you just said “thanks” and that was the end of it.