final whistle

plural final whistles

1. hobbiesThe blow of the whistle by the referee or other adjudicator signifying the end of a match.

   Only fifteen minutes now remained before the referee would blow the final whistle, and both teams exerted every effort to gain the mastery.

   1910 January 15, Bernard Finch, “The Outside Right: A Football Story”, in The Boy’s Own Paper, volume XXXII, number 16 (number 1618 overall), London: “Boy’s Own Paper” Office, […], →OCLC, page 255, column 2

   4 more examples

   Before the next [tennis] game begins, the players in each court change partners: and the same routine is followed until the time agreed upon has elapsed, when the final whistle is sounded, scores are added up, and prizes awarded.

   1888 July, “Chat”, in Demorest’s Monthly Magazine, volume XXIV, number 9 (number CCCI overall), New York, N.Y.: W[illiam] Jennings Demorest, →OCLC, page 583, column 2

   On December 14 Cornell's green, soph-laden basketball team tasted its first defeat as it fell before an experienced Niagara five. […] The second half Niagara jumped into the lead and held it until the final whistle.

   1949, “Basketball”, in The 1949 Cornellian, Ithaca, N.Y.: The 1949 Cornellian Board for the students of Cornell University, →OCLC, page 313, column 2

   It ended 1–0 to West Ham, and at the final whistle their players were going mad, knowing they were staying up [i.e., not being relegated].

   2006, Wayne Rooney, “Introduction”, in Wayne Rooney: The Way It Is, London: HarperSport, HarperCollinsPublishers, published 2007, →ISBN, page 3

   The final whistle prompted a pitch invasion – although there appeared to be an unwanted incident when a supporter seemed to punch Stevenage's Scott Laird, who subsequently fell to the ground.

   2011 January 8, Paul Fletcher, “Stevenage 3 – 1 Newcastle”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 01 Jan 2023

   Antonyms: starting whistle