All she wrote

This rather odd expression meaning, that’s all there is, it’s all over or there’s no more to be said, first appeared in America during the 1940s. Coinciding with World War II, has given birth to the popular theory that it derives from so called Dear John letters received by serving military personnel whose friends would ask, “Is that it? What else did she say?” To which the reply was invariably, “That’s all she wrote.” As intriguing as this theory is, most etymologists doubt its validity. A more likely theory is that it derives from an American song that contained the words, that’s all she wrote, which was very popular in America during the 1940s. The expression has since spread throughout the English-speaking world and is often to be heard in sporting contexts, especially in Australia and New Zealand. See also Goodnight nurse.