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I was watching MasterChef on TV. The amateur cooks were told to cook three dishes in the allotted time (I am not sure if its 40 minutes).
When Gregg Wallace was counting down from ten to one and then he said"time's up. You're finished".
I am not a native speaker of English, and the sentence "you're finished" sounds like to me that Gregg Wallace was trying to say "you're sunk".
Before he counted down to one, I was expecting that someone would announce it this way: "time's up. Put down your hands..." instead.
My question is that, what's exactly is the meaning of "you're finished"?
Could you suggest some other words to replace the words in the sentence "you are finished" and make it sound good or courteous?

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You're finished means you're done. Just like I'm finished with my test means I'm done with my test. So, the words finished and done do not have to have rude (not courteous) meanings.

I suppose the way Gregg Wallace says the phrase You're finished can be considered sudden or abrupt. But I don't think he means to be rude. He simply means your time is up. If it comes across as abrupt, I suggest that it is for dramatic flair and to suggest to contestants and viewers that something really important is going on here, rather than you're wasting your time on just another unimportant reality show.

Additionally, you're finished and you're done can refer to someone's terminal point in life, ie to announce to someone that their time on earth is over. As in, a desperado may hold a gun to someone's head and say you're finished unless you hand me over all your money. This also may be considered abrupt but not necessarily rude. Not all desperados are rude, even when holding a gun to someone's head.

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    All correct, but note that "you are finished" can be a simple statement of fact, like, "Oh, I see you are finished painting your garage." It is also used to say that you have lost or failed. Like, "After a mistake like that, you are finished at this company." Literally, you will be fired, your time at this company is finished, whether you like it or not.
    – Jay
    Jan 30, 2015 at 14:32

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