cliché: at the crack of dawn

Meaning: When the light of day first appears (definition).

Example: The stars begin to disappear at the crack of dawn. (Examples.)

Origins: Old English, “crack” means “moment”, thus “moment of dawn.” (Sources.)

Rewrites:

• at the smack of dawn
• at break of day
• as light of day peeps
• as the sun wakens
• as night calls it a day

Discussion: This one was harder to rewrite than I thought it would be. What other metaphors have you created?