All work and no play meaning in English

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Definition

All work and no play (makes Jack a dull boy): Working constantly without free time (makes Jack a dull boy) idiom

All work and no play (makes Jack a dull boy) is a common expression which could literally be translated as: "Working without a rest makes Jack a boring boy".

Examples

"I was all work and no play, a ghost behind a screen"
"You know my reputation: all work and no play."

Exercise 1

The phrase "all work and no play" is part of the English expression "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". What does this expression mean?

You should work as hard as possible.

Never tell your boss what you do in your free time.

Women shouldn't be in the workplace: that is men's role.

You should take time to enjoy yourself.

I don't know

The phrase "all work and no play" is part of the English expression "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". What does this expression mean?

You should work as hard as possible.

This is not the best choice here. In fact, the expression "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" is a warning that too much work is a bad thing!

Never tell your boss what you do in your free time.

This is not the best choice here. Although this may be good advice in some companies, the expression "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" does not mean that you shouldn't share your hobbies with your employer.

Women shouldn't be in the workplace: that is men's role.

This is not the best choice here, and certainly not an opinion shared by Gymglish!

You should take time to enjoy yourself.

This is the best choice here. "All work and no play..." means "don't spend all of your time working". It is an encouragement to enjoy yourself, or spend time having fun, not just working!

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