Anything but

any thing whatever; something, no matter what:
do you have anything for a toothache?
a thing of any kind.
in any degree; to any extent; in any way; at all:
does it taste anything like chocolate?
anything but, in no degree or respect; not in the least:
the plans were anything but definite.
anything goes, any type of conduct, dress, speech, etc., is considered acceptable or valid or is likely to be encountered and tolerated:
that resort is a place where anything goes!
pr-noun
any object, event, action, etc, whatever: anything might happen
noun
a thing of any kind: have you anything to declare?
adverb
in any way: he wasn’t anything like his father
anything but, by no means; not in the least: she was anything but happy
like anything, (intensifier; usually euphemistic): he ran like anything
n.

late old english aniþing, from any + thing. but old english ænig þinga apparently also meant “somehow, anyhow” (glossing latin quoquo modo).
by no means, not at all, as in he is anything but ambitious for a promotion. william wordsworth in his long poem, the prelude (1805–1806), wrote: “grief call it not, ’twas anything but that.”

anything but
anything goes
anything like

also see:

can’t do anything with
if anything
like anything
not anything like