pencils down

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phrase

   An instruction given at the end of an exam or timed task, telling everyone to stop writing immediately and put down their pencils.

   Grammar: Used as an order and has no subject: Pencils down, please.

   Patterns

   • Pencils down!
   • Time is up, pencils down

   The teacher called out, 'Time is up, pencils down!'

   When the bell rang, the supervisor said, 'Pencils down, everyone.'

   Pencils down now, and please do not turn your paper over.

2. 2phrasefixed phraseinformalfigurative

   A signal that work has finished and everyone should stop, even for tasks that do not involve pencils, such as a project or a contest.

   Grammar: Used figuratively and informally as a command or announcement.

   Patterns

   • It is pencils down at some time

   It's pencils down at five o'clock, whatever we have finished.

   The hackathon is pencils down on Sunday at noon.

   When the manager said pencils down, the design team relaxed.

Common combinations

say pencils down

The teacher will say pencils down at eleven.

pencils down time

Pencils down time is exactly at noon.

call pencils down

The proctor will call pencils down at the end.

it's pencils down

It's pencils down in five minutes.

Synonyms and how they differ

stop writing

Stop writing is a plain instruction, whereas pencils down is the traditional exam call.

time's up

Time's up announces the end of the period, while pencils down gives the physical instruction.

finish up

Finish up is a general request to wrap up a task, so it allows a little more time than pencils down.

Opposites

Word family

pencil noun

a writing tool

pencils noun

more than one pencil

down adverb

to a lower position

Commonly confused: pencils down or pens down?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “pencils down”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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