That ship has left

Reader question:

Please explain this sentence: There won’t be another offer – that ship has left.

My comments:

In other words, there’s not going to be another opportunity. You’ve got your chance and you missed it. It’s too late to worry about that now.

And that, well, is that.

Imagine that someone from a certain company offers you a job and, for some reason, you turn it down.

Later, for some reason, you begin to regret your decision. You hope that same company will make another offer to you.

And one of your friends who likes to speak the truth tells you bluntly: “That ship has left. Forget it. Move on.”

That ship has left where?

That ship has left the port, that is, and will not return.

“That ship has left” is an old saying that was probably coined and developed during the colonial period, when people travelled to other parts of the wide world by ship instead of via the railway or airplane.

The proper saying is actually “that ship has sailed.” By that, people understand that once a ship sails out of the port, it is not to return.

Ships usually set sail on a high tide and on the strength of favorable winds. So it is quite understandable that once a passenger ship has sailed and left port, there’s no way it’s going to return to fetch any late passenger who’s failed to get onboard.

Hence the saying: That ship has sailed, meaning you’ve missed your opportunity and missed it for good.

For good and forever.

Well, perhaps not forever. You can always catch the next ship – either on the next day or week, month, year as the case may be.

Anyways, “that ship has left or sailed” addresses the situation where an opportunity is lost once and for all.

And if you want to put “that ship has sailed or left” in your own writing, make sure you use it in similar situations.

But first, read and learn from the following media examples:

1. It was reported last night that Nico Williams has set a deadline to decide his future amid interest from a host of clubs across Europe.

Barcelona are one of the many clubs that have continued to show interest in the Spanish international, who is regarded as one of the best wingers in La Liga.

However, after months of speculation and long-standing interest, Barcelona have decided to pull the plug on their pursuit of Williams, reports Catalunya Radio.

Despite being a top target for the club in recent windows and even receiving the green light from new manager Hansi Flick, the Blaugrana have now ruled out a move for the Athletic Club forward this summer.

The report states that Nico Williams is no longer on Barcelona’s list of potential signings, with the club believing that the ship has sailed.

In addition to ending their interest in Nico, Barcelona have also decided not to pursue a new number nine this summer.

It’s a strong indication that the club’s transfer strategy will be much more conservative than previously anticipated, likely influenced by financial constraints and a growing belief in the current squad’s depth and young talent.

Indeed, the club appear to have full faith in Robert Lewandowski to spearhead the Barcelona frontline for yet another season, while Ferran Torres hasn’t done badly either.

Although the club remain open to market opportunities such as the one revolving around Victor Osimhen, coach Hansi Flick largely feels that he might not require a striker until 2026.

- Ship has sailed: Barcelona finally pull the plug on the pursuit of top attacking target, BarcaUniversal.com, April 15, 2025.

2. At one time, director Danny Boyle and his longtime screenwriter collaborator John Hodge had been tasked to develop the 25th installment of the James Bond franchise that would eventually morph into “No Time To Die,” the final outing for Daniel Craig as a the iconic MI6 Agent and would eventually exit over creative issues with the team over at EON.

Boyle is out doing press rounds to help promote his reunion with Alex Garland as their rage virus saga continues with a new trilogy starting with “28 Years Later” coming out on June 20, and briefly spoke to Business Insider about his current standing on a hypothetical return to the James Bond franchise and says his one regret was not shooting Hodge’s “really good” script.

“The thing I regret about that is the script was really good,” said Boyle of his version of the Bond movie that was given a major overhaul after his exit. “John Hodge is a wonderful writer.” When asked about his desire to tackle Bond again with Amazon MGM Studios securing full creative control (overseen by newly minted franchise producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman), Boyle was blunt by stating, “That ship has sailed.”

Hodge’s work seemingly was scrapped as he’s not a credited writer on “No Time To Die,” while longtime franchise screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade would end up with the credit alongside director Cary Joji Fukunaga and writing polishes from Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The script penned by Hodge revolved around a Russian villain and would still have ended with the death of James Bond (part of Craig’s agreement to return).

We’re still waiting on official news concerning a director and actor for the next iteration of James Bond, under Amazon’s creative control.

- Danny Boyle Says “Ship Has Sailed” On James Bond, Regrets “Really Good” John Hodge Script For His Take On ‘Bond 25’, ThePlayList.net, June 16, 2025.

3. Vice President JD Vance said Elon Musk made a “mistake” in picking a fight with President Trump – but said he hopes the Tesla honcho will find his way back into the White House.

Vance shared his hopes of having the X owner back at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. by the 2026 midterm elections, and highlighted just how instrumental the billionaire was in Trump’s 2024 presidential bid.

“I don’t know that he would take my call right now,” Vance told The Gateway Pundit of Musk, saying the tech tycoon has a “complicated relationship” with the White House.

“I kid,” he added. “I’m sure he would take my call, but honestly, the drama around him and the White House over the last couple of months… my hope is that it just kinda cools down a bit.”

“If you’re patriotic, you’re not trying to sink your knife in the back of the president, you’re not trying to betray the movement, I don’t care about these, like, minor, little disagreements,” he said, adding that he is “pretty big tent about this stuff.”

Vance also suggested that the SpaceX CEO is in a tough spot as a result of the messy feud.

“My argument to Elon is like, you’re not going to be on the left … even if you wanted to be – and he doesn’t – they’re not going to have you back, that ship has sailed,” he said. “I really think it’s a mistake for him to try to break from the president.”

“My hope is, by the midterms, things are kind of back to normal,” he added.

- JD Vance says Elon Musk should return to White House – but calls fight with Trump a ‘mistake’, NYPost.com, August 12, 2025.

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About the author:

Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.

（作者：张欣）