All things to all people, be
satisfy everyone completely, as in the trouble with the governor’s campaign is that she is trying to be all things to all people. this proverbial expression is sometimes phrased be all things to all men, but today men is often replaced by people to avoid gender discrimination. the expression originated in paul’s statement (i corinthians 9:22): “i am made all things to all men, that i might by all means save some.” today it often appears in a political context, but phrased negatively, as in he wants to be a good school committee member, but he can’t be all things to all people.
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- All to hell
all to h-ll related terms excuse me all to h-ll, pardon me all to h-ll
- All to the good
see: to the good
- All told
simple past tense and past participle of 1 . all told, counting everyone or everything; in all: there were 50 guests all told. adverb (sentence modifier) taking every one into account; in all: we were seven all told verb the past tense and past participle of tell1 adjective see all told past tense of tell, […]
- All up
the whole of (used in referring to quant-ty, extent, or duration): all the cake; all the way; all year. the whole number of (used in referring to individuals or particulars, taken collectively): all students. the greatest possible (used in referring to quality or degree): with all due respect; with all speed. every: all kinds; all […]
- All very well
all right or quite true as far as it goes. for example, it’s all very well for jane to drop out, but how will we find enough women to make up a team? this idiom, first recorded in 1853, generally precedes a question beginning with “but,” as in the example. also see well and good