/ 2. or [all of a sudden] Without warning;abruptly; suddenly; unexpectedly. •/All at once we heard a shot and thesoldier fell to the ground./ •/All of a sudden the ship struck a rock./Compare: AT ONCE.
[all better]{adj. phr.} Fully recovered; all well again; no longerpainful. — Usually used to or by children. •/"All better now," he keptrepeating to the little girl./
[all but]{adv. phr.} Very nearly; almost. •/Crows all but destroyeda farmer’s field of corn./ •/The hikers were exhausted and all but frozenwhen they were found./
[all ears]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Very eager to hear; veryattentive. — Used in the predicate. •/Go ahead with your story; we are allears./ •/When John told about the circus, the boys were all ears./
[alley] See: BLIND ALLEY, DOWN ONE’S ALLEY or UP ONE’S ALLEY.
[alley cat]{n.}, {slang} 1. A stray cat. 2. A person (usually afemale) of rather easy-going, or actually loose sexual morals; a promiscuousperson. •/You’ll have no problem dating her; she’s a regular alley cat./
[all eyes]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Wide-eyed with surprise orcuriosity; watching very closely. — Used in the predicate. •/At the circusthe children were all eyes./
[all gone]{adj. phr.} Used up; exhausted (said of supplies); donewith; over with. •/We used to travel a lot, but, alas, those days are allgone./
[all here] See: ALL THERE.
[all hours]{n. phr.}, {informal} Late or irregular times. •/Theboy’s mother said he must stop coming home for meals at all hours./ •/Hestayed up till all hours of the night to finish his school work./
[all in]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Very tired; exhausted. •/Theplayers were all in after their first afternoon of practice./ Syn.: PLAYEDOUT, WORN OUT.
[all in a day’s work] or [all in the day’s work]{adj. phr.},{informal} Unpleasant or bad but to be expected; not harder than usual; notunusual. •/Keeping ants away from a picnic lunch is all in the day’s work./•/When the car had a flat tire, Father said that it was all in a day’swork./ Compare: PAR FOR THE COURSE, PUT UP WITH.
[all in all(1)]{n. phr.}, {literary} The person or thing that youlove most. •/She was all in all to him./ •/Music was his all in all./
[all in all(2)] or [in all]{adv. phr.} When everything is thoughtabout; in summary; altogether. •/All in all, it was a pleasant day’scruise./ •/All in all, the pilot of an airplane must have many abilitiesand years of experience before he can he appointed./ Compare: ON THE WHOLE 1.•/Counting the balls on the green, we have six golf balls in all./
[all in good time]{adv. phr.} Some time soon, when the time is ripefor an event to take place. •/"I want to get married, Dad," Mike said. "Allin good time, Son," answered his father./
[all in one piece]{adv. phr.} Safely; without damage or harm.•/John’s father was terribly concerned when his son was sent to war as apilot, but he came home all in one piece./
[all kinds of]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Plenty of. •/People saythat Mr. Fox has all kinds of money./ •/When Kathy was sick, she had allkinds of company./ Compare: GREAT DEAL.
[all manner of]{adj. phr.}, {formal} Many different kinds of; allsorts of. •/In a five-and-ten-cent store you can buy all manner of things./
[all of]{adj. phr.}, {informal} 1. At least the amount or numberof; fully; no less than. •/It was all of ten o’clock before they finallystarted./ •/She must have paid all of $50 for that hat./ 2. Showing allthe signs of; completely in. — Used with "a". •/The girls were all of atwitter before the dance./ •/Mother is all of a flutter because of thethunder and lightning./ •/The dog was all of a tremble with cold./
[all of a sudden] See: ALL AT ONCE 2.
[all out]{adv. phr.}, {informal} With all your strength, power, ordetermination; to the best of your ability; without holding back. — Usuallyused in the phrase "go all out". •/We went all out to win the game./•/John went all out to finish the job and was very tired afterwards./Compare: ALL THE WAY 2, FULL TILT, GO THE WHOLE HOG, GO TO ANY LENGTH, LEAVE ASTONE UNTURNED, WITH MIGHT AND MAIN.
[all-out effort]{n.} A great and thorough effort at solving a givenproblem. •/The President is making an all-out effort to convince Congress topass the pending bill on health care./
[all-out war]{n.} Total war including civilian casualties as opposedto a war that is limited only to armies. •/Hitler was waging an all-out warwhen he invaded Poland./
[all over]{adv. phr.} 1. In every part; everywhere. •/He has a feverand aches all over./ •/I have looked all over for my glasses./ Compare:FAR AND WIDE. 2. {informal} In every way; completely. •/She is her motherall over./ 3. {informal} Coming into very close physical contact, asduring a violent fight; wrestling. •/Before I noticed what happened, he wasall over me./
[all over but the shouting]{adv. phr.}{informal} Finally decidedor won; brought to an end; not able to be changed. •/After Bill’s touchdown,the game was all over but the shouting./ •/John and Tom both tried to winJane, but after John’s promotion it was all over but the shouting./
[all over someone] See: FALL ALL OVER SOMEONE.
[allowance] See: MAKE ALLOWANCE.
[allow for]{v.} To provide for; leave room for; give a chance to;permit. •/She cut the skirt four inches longer to allow for a wide hem./•/Democracy allows for many differences of opinion./
[all right(1)]{adv. phr.} 1. Well enough. •/The new machine isrunning all right./ 2. {informal} I am willing; yes. •/"Shall we watchtelevision?" "All right."/ Compare: VERY WELL. 3. {informal} Beyondquestion, certainly. — Used for emphasis and placed after the word itmodifies. •/It’s time to leave, all right, but the bus hasn’t come./
[all right(2)]{adj. phr.} 1. Good enough; correct; suitable. •/Hiswork is always all right./ 2. In good health or spirits; well. •/"How areyou?" "I’m all right."/ 3. {slang} Good. •/He’s an all right guy./
[all right for you]{interj.} I’m finished with you! That ends itbetween you and me! — Used by children. •/All right for you! I’m not playingwith you any more!/
[all roads lead to Rome]{literary} The same end or goal may be reachedby many different ways. — A proverb. •/"I don’t care how you get theanswer," said the teacher, "All roads lead to Rome."/
[all set]{adj. phr.} Ready to start. •/"Is the plane ready fortake-off?" the bank president asked. "Yes, Sir," the pilot answered. "We’re allset."/
[all shook up] also [shook up]{adj.}, {slang} In a state ofgreat emotional upheaval; disturbed; agitated. •/What are you so shook upabout?/
[all systems go]{Originally from space English, now general colloquialusage.} Everything is complete and ready for action; it is now all right toproceed. •/After they wrote out the invitations, it was all systems go forthe wedding./
[all the(1)]{adj. phr.}, {dialect} The only. •/A hut was all thehome he ever had./
[all the(2)]{adv. phr.} Than otherwise; even. — Used to emphasizecomparative adjectives, adverbs, and nouns. •/Opening the windows made it allthe hotter./ •/Take a bus instead of walking and get home all thesooner./ •/If you don’t eat your dessert, all the more for us./
[all the better] See: ALL THE(2).
[all the ---er]{substandard} The ---est; as … as. — Used with acomparative adjective or adverb and subordinate clause in place of asuperlative adjective or adverb. •/That was all the bigger he grew./ •/Isthat all the faster you can go?/
[all there] or [all here]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Understandingwell; thinking clearly; not crazy. — Usually used in negative sentences,•/Joe acted queerly and talked wildly, so we thought he was not all there./
[all the same(1)] or [all one]{n. phr.} Something that makes nodifference; a choice that you don’t care about. •/If it’s all the same toyou, I would like to be waited on first./ •/You can get there by car or bybus — it’s all one./
[all the same(2)] or [just the same]{adv. phr.}, {informal} Asif the opposite were so; nevertheless; anyway; anyhow; still. •/Everyoneopposed it, but Sally and Bob got married all the same./ •/Mary is deaf,but she takes tap dancing lessons just the same./ Compare: AT THAT 3, INSPITE OF.
[all the thing] or [all the rage], [the in thing]{n. phr.} Thefashionable or popular thing to do, the fashionable or most popular artist orform of art at a given time. •/After "The Graduate" Dustin Hoffman was allthe rage in the movies./ •/It was all the thing in the late sixties tosmoke pot and demonstrate against the war in Vietnam./
[all the time]{adv. phr.} 1. or [all the while] During the wholeperiod; through the whole time. •/Mary went to college in her home town and